


Twin Flames

by Alyssland



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Book And Movie References, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-The Maze Runner, Slow Burn, strong female character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:48:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 42,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24611041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alyssland/pseuds/Alyssland
Summary: "I promise I'll save you." That's what Vicky said to a certain boy, but then she found herself in the Glade surrounded by 30 boys and without memories. There's only a note with her name and a bunch of misterious words written on it. What happened? Will she be able to keep her promise?
Relationships: Gally (Maze Runner)/Original Character(s), Gally/OC
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	1. The New Greenie

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!  
> I recently got to read a lot of Maze Runner funfictions, and I decided to try and write one of my own. I know there are a lot out there, that's why I hope you'll enjoy mine all the same.  
> This is my very first fanfiction and english is not my mothertongue, so I apologize for any mistake, and if you have any suggestion about the story or the characters, feel free to tell me (:
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the story (apart from some changes from the original) or any of the character, only Viky and Logan.
> 
> .

VICKY

Black.

She woke up in the darkness to the shrieking sound of metal. She blinked a few times trying to take in her surroundings, but it was pitch black and she couldn’t see anything. The air was musty and stale, causing her to take shallow breaths. She stood up slowly, arms stretched in front of her trying to find something to steady herself with. She was moving.

 _Where am I?_ She wondered. _Who am I? Why can’t I remember anything?_ Panic overtook her, forcing her to gasp for air. Her heart pounded loudly under her chest, so much that she thought it would come out at any moment. She tried to calm down and forced herself to take long deep breaths. _Think. What happened before you woke up? Why are you here?_ But nothing. Her mind was blank, and she couldn’t remember a single thing. Not her name. Not her parents or friends. Nothing. She wanted to scream.

Trying not to fall she moved from her spot and reached a cold metal grid. She followed it with her hand, tracing the perimeter of the area until she realized she was in a sort of box and it was going up. _Probably an elevator_ She thought. Here and there a handful of what resembled smaller wooden boxes under her touch.

Before she could think about or do anything else, the box reached what seemed to be the top and came to a halt with a loud thud causing her to fall backwards and hit her head on the wall. She growled for the pain and began to massage her head to ease the pain, unsuccessfully.

After a few seconds the top of the box opened, and a bright light flooded in. She groaned, squinting her eyes and covering her face with her right arm. Fresh air surrounded her, and she inhaled it as if it was her first time breathing. When she was more accustomed to the light, she looked up, but all she could see were a bunch of black shapes surrounding the edges of the box. They were murmuring and whispering to each other and she couldn’t understand what they were saying. She forced herself to remain calm, as calm as she could be in a situation like that.

Again, she took a sneak peek at the top and this time she recognized the heads of three boys, probably between 16 and 18, peering inside the box and looking at her with wide eyes and open mouths.

“Well? What happened? Why aren’t you saying something?” a voice asked impatiently.

“I bet the greenie klunked himself!” another one said arousing a lot of laughter.

“Slim it!” a dark-skinned muscular boy shouted.

“Bloody hell, it-it’s a girl!” exclaimed with a strong British accent the blond one next to him.

_What the hell is happening? Who are these people? Where am I?_

The third one was staring at her intently without saying a word, only his eyebrows raised in confusion and wariness.

“What the shuck! Really?!”

“She hot?”

“I bet she is shank”

“I call dibs on her!” someone shouted in background.

“What? No, I call dibs you slinthead!”

_What the hell are they talking about? Shank? Slinthead?_

She was about to open her mouth to say something when the stern voice of the dark-skinned boy roared again “I told you to slim it you slintheads! No one call dibs anyone!” in the direction of the other voices. “Newt, go and help her out”

 _Seems like he is the boss here_ she assumed, her eyes darting all around in panic to find a way out.

Suddenly she heard a loud thud that made jump and a tall slim boy with blond hair and brown eyes stood in front of her, extending his hand for her to take with a big smile on his face.

“Hey, it’s fine. Don’t be scared.” he said softly “My name is Newt, do you remember your name?”

She was a bit confused, the fear not completely gone. Her instinct, though, told her he didn’t seem a bad guy, so she thought for a moment and then replied, “No,” still not reaching his hand. She was surprised when it came out like a strangled sound. When was the last time she spoke? “Actually, I can’t remember a thing.”

“It’s ok, don’t worry. Nobody here remembered it when they first arrived. Probably it’ll take a few days. It’s the only thing they let us keep.”

“They? Who are they?” she asked alarmed, more than she wanted to show.

“The people who sent us here, but we’ll tell you about them later.”

She looked at him again quizzically but remained in her position.

“We ain’t gonna hurt ya ok? Here, take my hand”

“Where am I?” she asked warily. He didn’t seem a threat, but that didn’t mean she trusted him yet.

“Don’t worry, you’re safe. We’ll explain everything to you in a moment, but first you have to come out of the box” He said again in a sweet tone trying not to scare her even more, his hand still extended for her.

She wasn’t convinced at all. A lot of questions were popping out in her head, but hey, what choice did she had? She didn’t know where she was, let alone who she was and why was she there. Maybe they would have the answers. Not that she had much hope, but she tried to compose herself and without taking his hand she pulled herself up. With the corner of her eye she saw a smirk appearing on Newt’s face and then she heard him commanding another boy to bring him the rope. She took it and climbed up. She was almost at the end when a hand grabbed her arm and helped her up.

The first thing she saw were the massive stone walls that surrounded the place, her eyes widened in surprise. She looked around frantically in search of anything that would help her understand and she relaxed a bit when she saw a small a dilapidated wooden building surrounded by a bunch of trees on one side, a cropped field on the other and a fence with pigs and chickens in a corner. For some reason it seemed familiar. Her stream of thoughts was interrupted when she heard footsteps approaching and a familiar voice calling to her.

“Welcome to the Glade greenie!” She turned quickly now looking at the dark-skinned boy in front of her without a word. He had a muscular body and was a bit smaller than the blond one. “My name is Alby. I’m the one in charge. Newt here is my second-in-command.” He said, patting a hand on the boy shoulder, a smirk forming on his lips.

_Yeah, I was right. Definitely the boss._

“Glade?” she asked even more confused

“This is how we call this place. It’s our home and now this is your home too” he explained showing her the place around him. Only now she realized they were surrounded by a group of relatively young boys, mainly between 15 and 19, who were staring at her incredulous with hungry eyes, talking to each other.

“She’s quite hot huh?”

“You got that right shank! I don’t mind sharing though.” Again, laughter erupted through the crowd.

She stiffened hearing they’re remarks. _What the hell?_ She was outraged, and she finally spoke. “Who said I would share anything with _you_ in the first place?”

Everything went quiet for a while, all the boys staring at her and then again, the laughter.

“Would you shut the shuck up? The show’s over, go back to your work. NOW.” Newt yelled.

Some of them went back disappointed while a few remained to help take out the supplies from the box. “I’m sorry, it’s just… they have never seen a girl before.” He sighed.

 _Oh great, this is my lucky day._ _First the amnesia and now I’m the only girl with a bunch of horny boys._ She rolled her eyes, turning to the boy whose name was Alby.

“Who are you? Who sent me here? And why the hell can’t I remember anything?!” she demanded aggressively.

“Woa, woa! Calm down greenie, will ya? We call ourselves the Gladers, we are just like you. We don’t really know who sent us here, we call them the creators, but we have no clue who they are. As for your memories, well… everyone was the same when they came here. Nobody remembers our past.”

She looked at Alby quizzically and didn’t say anything after that, still thinking about what he just said. _Really?! Oh, come on, am I stuck here?!_ She glanced again at the big walls, noticing an opening right in the middle she must have overlook before. For a moment she thought about running in that direction, maybe she could escape, but again her thoughts were interrupted by a voice she didn’t recognize.

“I wouldn’t do it if I were you, greenie. You don’t want to go there, trust me.” He warned her with his powerful voice.

The third boy caught her staring at the wall’s doors and immediately understood what she was thinking. He was very tall, at least ten centimeters taller than Newt, and well-built. He had short sandy hair, stormy bluish-grey eyes and a potato nose on which some freckles were scattered. He was looking at her whit a scowl on his face. The moment their eyes met she felt a strange sensation running through her body that she couldn’t put into words, as if she knew him. But, again, how could she?

“How do you know? And why do you keep calling me greenie? What does that mean?” she grunted.

“He’s right,” said Newt ignoring the other question. “It’s not safe out there.”

“Why? What’s out there?”

“All in good time greenie. Now, if ya don’t mind, I don’t have all da-”

“Hey Alby!” a boy screamed from inside the box.

“What do you want Zart? Now is really not the time!”

“I think you should look at this” he said with a serious tone, handing him a crumpled piece of paper and looking back at the girl. “I also found two more vials of the Serum on the floor.” Alby took it, his face darkened while reading it.

“What does this mean greenie?” he demanded angrily, stretching the paper in front of her eyes.

“What does it say?” the well-built guy asked.

“It says: _Vicky. Keep her safe. She'll help. Way out in the Maze. Code FLOAT – CA…”_ Alby said, still looking at her, frowning.

_Vicky! That’s it! That’s my name!_ How could she have forgotten her name?

“How am I supposed to know? I can’t remember a thing!” she yelled surprised and then a realization. “Wait, did you say _Maze_??” her eyes even wider than before. The boys looked at each other for a brief second, probably deciding whether to tell her or not, and then Alby spoke again.

“How do we know you’re not lying, and this is just part of their plan?”

“You don’t,” she sighed frustrated, trying to contain her anger “but I really don’t remember.” She needed to remain calm if she wanted them to believe her. _But, did he really said Maze?!_

“Wait, maybe she’s telling the truth Alby.” Newt intervened while reading the note. “It says the way out is in the Maze and this last part…couldn’t it be related to it? If I were them, I surely wouldn’t want us to know about it.”

“Mmmh,” He didn’t sound very convinced but turned to the other boys, “I think we need to call a gathering. Right now.” said impatiently.

“A gathering?”

“Yeah, it’s… how we sort out important things. It’s a sort of council.” Newt explained.

“Well greenie, while we all decide what to do with you this big guy here is going to show you around.” Alby announced pointing at the well-build boy. “He’s name’s Gally.”

“WHAT? Why me?” he protested bewildered.

“This is and order, no complaints.”

“I have better things to do than babysitting the Greanbean!”

“You know I can hear you, right?” she remarked.

“I said it’s an order.”

“Isn’t Newt more fitted to do this? You know I’m not the patient one!” he tried again, unsuccessfully.

“Are you sure about that Alby?” asked Newt with a perplexed tone.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he can work it out. Right Gally?”

Gally rolled his eyes and grunted but didn’t say anything in return.

Alby then approached him, whispering something in his ear she couldn’t pick up. Probably something about her. And with that he walked away in the direction of the wooden building.

“Wait!” she cried, “Are you really leaving me here with _him_?!” He didn’t seem like the friendly type and she surely didn’t want to be alone with him. She would have preferred someone like Newt, but apparently, she had no say in the matter.

“Do you have a problem with that? It’s not that I asked for it anyway.” Gally snapped. He clearly wasn’t happy either with the decision.

 _I have a big problem with that,_ she wanted to say, but Newt intervened before she could open her mouth to protest.

“It’s alright greenie, he might seem a brute, but he’s not that bad once you know him” Newt winked.

_As if I would want to know him better._

“Hey!” Gally shouted, an eyebrow raised in disapproval. For a moment she thought he might have read her mind, but relaxed when she saw he was looking at Newt.

“Alright, I need to go. Don’t treat her too bad.” He said winking again at Gally. “See ya later!” He spared her a last glance and big smile before turning away and following Alby. If it was to reassure her or himself about that decision, she didn’t know.

She turned uncomfortable in the direction of Gally, who still had a scowl on his face and was glaring at her, clearly upset by the turn of the events.

 _Great._ She sighed, shrugging her shoulders even more uncomfortable.


	2. The Glade

GALLY

Silence.

Gally’s eyes traveled on her for a few long seconds until he finally spoke with an irritated tone, “Alright greenie, I don’t trust you, but I don’t really have a choice, so follow me. No questions until I finish, are we clear?”

He understood that Alby needed his strength if she tried anything stupid, but if he had to be honest, he didn’t like the idea one bit. Always disliked greenies, they ask to many questions. Not that he didn’t understand them, he was the same when he arrived here, but just the idea of them never stopping asking things annoyed him a lot. And they probably would have been scared of him anyway. Not that he blamed them, he was always grumpy and short tempered. That’s way Newt always showed them around.

“Will you please stop call me _that_? I have a name. And what does it even mean?”

“What? Greenie? It’s what we call the new ones, the green beans, so you better get used to it.”

He heard her sighing in frustration, but she said nothing else. Probably she realized he wouldn’t have changed his mind.

“Now,” he snapped “no more question, good that?”

“Huh? Wha-“ before she could continue he interrupted her.

“Means, do you understand? It’s the slang we use here, you’ll catch up soon. Good that?” he repeated with a threatening tone. _If she’s going to ask one more question, I’m gonna lose it._

She got quiet for a moment and Gally swore he could see the wheels turning in her head, but then she simply replied, “Good that.” She didn’t sound very convinced, but it was enough.

He smirked mentally as he heard her answer. _Catching up sooner than expected, aren’t we?_ He found himself thinking. They were still looking at each other and for a brief moment Gally thought he felt as if this was not the first time, he’d seen this girl. Her big blue eyes and long black hair tied in a braid were very familiar, but he couldn’t figure out where had he seen her. _Maybe she’s really one of them._ At the idea his face darkened, and he saw a glint of worry in her eyes, but it disappeared as soon as it came. Maybe he imagined it.

“Alright, let’s begin” he said quickly.

Since they were already there, he started to explain her about the box and the fact that every week the Creators sent them a bunch of supplies they needed to survive and each month a new greenie. “This time it’s you” he said. He also explained that sometimes they would put inside the box a few requests and occasionally the creators would grant them.

After that he proceeded showing her the rest of the Galde. “See that building? It’s the Homestead. Ya’ll see it after they’re finished with the Gathering. For now you just need to know it’s the place where some of us sleep, mostly Keepers since there’s not enough space. The others slee-”

“Keepers of what?”

“Oh for shuck’s sake. Would you slim it?!” He barked. Shuck, she was really annoying.

“Sorry” she said with a whisper. He immediately felt a hint of guilt. _Was it too much? Wait, why do I care? She needs to know her place._ And he continued.

“Everyone here has a job so we can survive. Keepers are the ones in charge of the jobs and the only ones who can attend the Gatherings.”

He almost expected another question about the Keepers, but if she wanted to know, she didn’t show it and kept quiet.

“So, as I was saying before you interrupted me, the others sleep outside in their hammocks. The Homestead is also the place where we eat and where we are treated by the Med-jacks. Clint is the one in charge. The Cooks also work there, and Frypan is their Keeper. Ya’ll meet him at dinner.”

She nodded, probably absorbing every information and followed him as he now walked in the direction of a grassy area. He told her that those were the Gardens, where crops were grown and water is pumped, as it never rained in the Glade. He noticed her quizzical glance when he spoke the last part, but he didn’t add anything.

“The ones who work here are the Track-hoes and Zart, the boy you saw before, is their Keeper.” He continued, also explaining that some of the Gladers slept here in sleeping bags at night. While walking a few boys who were working on the field look up at her. They probably wanted to take a better glance of the new greenie. Gally seemed to realize she was uncomfortable even though she tried not to show it, so he moved in front of Vicky as if to shield her with his broad figure.

“Let’s go” he said, and started to walk away.

“Hey! Can you slow down a bit?” She yelled. She fell a bit behind and had some trouble keeping up with him.

“Come on greenie, I don’t have all day.” He retorted annoyed, slowing down nonetheless.

Next in line was the Blood House. “Here work the Slicers, their Keeper is Winston. There they breed the livestock and slaughter it when we need it.” A hint of disgust made its way on her face while she turned up her nose. He tried to contain a laugh at that sight. _Seems like she won’t be working here_ , he thought.

The Builders were next. They were working on a part of the fence near the Blood House, because one of the livestock had ruined it. “We build all sort of things for the Glade and the other Gladers,” he continued “like huts for the materials, beds or the Slammer. And before you ask, it’s like a prison, where we put Gladers who don’t follow the rules. They’re really simple. First, everyone does their part. No slackers. Second, never hurt another Glader. We have to trust each other. Third one, the most important one, never, _never_ , go outside the Glade, unless you are a Runner.” He concluded. “Good that?”

“Runner?”

 _Shuck!_ He gave her a death stare hoping she wouldn’t ask more and luckily for him she immediately change the subject. He knew he wasn’t supposed to talk about it yet, so he prayed she wouldn’t remember later.

“So, you’re their Keeper” she said amused.

His eyebrow raised and he gave her another look, this time a quizzical. _How can she tell?_ He thought.

She caught it and explained “Well, you said ‘ _we’_ and I figured you wouldn’t be the one giving me the tour if you weren’t a Keeper. Plus, your body did the rest.” She giggled.

Gally was a bit taken aback by that. She sure was smart. He also didn’t expect her to be so calm, let alone to laugh. He thought she would freak out at any moment, but well, she still didn’t even hear the worst part. Yet her small smile was so fresh that he thought it was cute and a warm sensation spread through his chest.

 _What the hell are you thinking? Get your shit together, you idiot! You don’t even know her._ He scolded himself shocked.

He mustn’t have been the only one to notice her laugh, because soon a bunch of guys were again staring at her from head to toe.

“Hey cutie, why don’t you find a better one to show you around?” a slim boy with curly brown hair commented, winking at her and pointing his thumb on his chest.

“Shank are you crazy?” someone said to the boy while eyeing Gally warily. He probably knew he shouldn’t mess with the Keeper of the Builders.

Gally frowned, his fists now clenched ready to punch him in the face. _That shucking klunkhead. I’m gonna kill him._

“What did ya just said ya slinthead?! Do ya want me to punch ya that bad?!” he barked, his face full of anger. He was just about to take a step forward when he heard Vicky sigh by his side, stopping him with a gesture of her hand.

“Are _you_ supposed to be the one? Because I don’t remember asking for an idiot” she retorted with sarcasm.

The guy’s eyes widened in shock, his face red of anger and embarrassment. He opened his mouth to say something, but as she immediately added “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I hurt your feelings?”

She turned her back to him and began to walk away, still grinning.

At that remark a chorus of “Woooooo” arose, followed by a lot of laughter from the other boys.

“She got you slinthead!” said the boy next to him.

“Slim it!” he yelled even more embarrassed and he returned to what he was previously doing.

Meanwhile Gally watched the whole thing in amusement, sniggering. _Not bad_ he thought. Before she could see him though, he composed himself and put on again his best serious face. He didn’t want to let his guard down yet. He also made a mental note to teach that stupid fella a lesson after that.

“Come on Gally! I don’t think you finished to show me around, did you?” she shouted from afar.

He reached her and hissed, “Don’t ya dare boss me around greenie.” What did she think she is?

She saw her raising her hand in defeat, “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

By that time the sun was already setting down. So for the last part of the tour he brought her to a small forest area, near the South West side of the wall.

“This is the Deadheads and this… ” pausing and pointing at a group of stones on the ground not knowing how to continue “.. this is the graveyard.” He said carefully. Not that he cared about her feelings, he really wasn’t the type, and she needed to know anyway, but he didn’t want her to just panic and do something stupid.

She didn’t say anything though, she just crouched holding her knees with her arms. He took it as a sign he screwed up, but when he sneaked a peek at her face, he saw her thoughtfully looking at the stones, frowning. They had names on them.

“I guess this is why you told me not go outside, isn’t it?” she asked carelessly.

If he was surprised before, now he was baffled. How could she be so calm? Even he had a mental breakdown when he first arrived. Now, he was really impressed. _Who the shuck is this girl?_

“You know, you’re taking the whole thing rather good greenie” he remarked.

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I’m not afraid. In fact I really am, I’m human too, you know? It’s just.. I don’t know. I don’t think that freaking out would help with the situation. I’m just trying to understand. It’s a lot to take in, and I… I have the impression this is just half of it, am I wrong?” she replied, and he heard a hint of despair in it.

“No, you’re not.” Gally more and more shocked, if it was even possible, but tried not to show it.

“Why don’t you tell me then?”

“It’s not my job. Alby will tell you the rest. For now, you should just go back to the Homestead. I have better things to do.” He hoped she would just stop asking. He only wanted this to be over soon.

She stood back up and glared at him. “Do you think I enjoy holding you back and pestering you with questions?! I don’t care if it’s not your fucking job, I have the right to know!” Now she was yelling and he almost flinched. “The sooner you tell me, the sooner I’ll be able to cope with it.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. You should probably wa-“ he tried to reason, but she cut him off.

“No. I want to know, NOW. Why can’t I go out? What’s out there? Why did they talk about a Maze?” Her hands now on her side clenched into fists. He could see them becoming white. “Why won’t anyone tell me anything? I have the right to know!”

He was really starting to lose what little patience he had left now. She wanted to know it so badly? Good that, he’ll tell her. “Alright greenie, you really want to know?! Fine. But don’t blame me if ya’ll be scared” he snapped. “As I already told you only the Runners can go outside.” Pausing to find the right way to continue.

“Runners? You didn’t repl-“

“Shut up and let me finish. I figured you noticed the walls, right?” she nodded. “The reason why no one apart from the Runners is allowed out there is because there’s a Maze. The Runners are the ones who runs it during the day to find a way out, but they have to come back before the doors close, bec-“

“WHAT? You’re kidding! No way the doors are moving!” she interrupted again.

“NO, I’m not. And if you interrupt me another time, _I swear_ I’ll feed you to the Grievers.” He hissed pointing a finger at her face. He was about to burst.

Her mouth opened slightly, but she immediately closed it. Probably she wanted to ask what a Griever was, but he figured she was afraid he would actually do that. Not that he blamed her.

“Alright, alright. Go on.” She said instead.

“As I was saying, they have to come back before the doors close if they don’t want to die. No one has ever survived a night in the Maze.” He made a pause before going on. “There are things out there. We call them Grievers. If they don’t kill you, they stung you and you go through the Change. It’s really painful and if you recover, you’re not the same anymore. It’s not something you would like to try.”

She seemed a bit confused and he saw her ponder for a moment before asking, “Have you ever seen one?”

His body stiffened at the question, leaning his back against a tree. He didn’t reply immediately, his gaze fixed on the stones on the ground, thinking at the time he was stung.

“Yeah” he murmured.

In that moment realization struck him like a bolt from the blue. He had seen her during the Change. The memories were confused, but he was sure she was there and the thought of her being one of the Creators crossed his mind again, causing his face to darkened even more. _Why was she there?_

“So… you’re telling me we’re stuck here, and we can’t escape?”

He nodded, still silent. He was glad she didn’t pry any further, he wasn’t keen to tell anyone about it, let alone her.

“How long have you been here?” she asked next.

“A year and a half” he sighed, “but some were here longer. Alby was the first. He came here about two years ago.” Every time he thought about it a feeling of sadness overwhelmed him. Time passed so fast and yet so slowly.

“Gally?”

He was still absorbed in his thoughts, but he immediately snapped out of it at the sound of her voice calling his name. “What do you want now?” He was tired of her questioning him.

“Thanks. For telling me.” She said with a shy smile.

“No big deal greenie” he replied dryly. _Was he overreacting about her?_

“Will you ever stop calling me that?” she asked jokingly.

“Not a chance” he smirked.

“Slinthed” she whispered, just loud enough for him to heard, crossing her arms on her chest.

“Did you just call me _Slinthead_?!”

“Maybe.” she said, winking.

 _Really?_ He thought, one of his eyebrows raised. “Do ya have a death wish?” he asked intimidating. “I won’t hold back just ‘cause you’re a girl.” She looked at him but didn’t flinch. Her eyes studying him. Why wasn’t she scared of him?

“You kno-“

Suddenly, a roar reverberated through the Glade, followed by the loud sound of metal screeching against metal. Vicky jumped in surprise. She then turned to look terrified to Gally, who instead was unbothered by it.

“GOD! What the hell was that?”

“It’s the doors. They’re closing” he explained.

She averted her gaze from him to look at the walls.

“Ya better get used to it.” And with that he straightened up and began to walk in the direction of the Blood House.

“Wait! Where are you going?”

“The tour’s over greenie, I’ve work to finish. You can just go back to the Homestead. They should be over with the Gathering now. Dinner’s in an hour. Oh, and be ready for tonight! See ya!” And he walked away.

Finally, he could go back to his tasks and have some peace. He really couldn’t take any more of her questions. Gally has never been a talkative guy, truly he spoke only to a few people and only when necessary. So, he was shocked when Alby asked him to be one to give Vicky the tour.

“Be ready for what? What happens tonight?” He heard her yelling at his back but didn’t turn. Before she could say anything else, he was gone.


	3. Bonfire Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! :)  
> I want to thank again all the people who are reading this. I hope I won't disappoint you and I would really appreciate any comment about this story, so I'll know what I can do better.
> 
> Enjoy (:

VICKY

After Gally left her, Vicky spent the following hour in the Deadheads crouched under a tree, trying unsuccessfully to suppress the tears she fought hard to hold until that moment. The realization of being trapped in a place where death was always around the corner hit her hard like a stone and she immediately felt as scared and lonely as ever. But at the same time, she couldn’t shake off the odd feeling that this was not the first time she had seen this place and that sent a shiver down her spine. _Could it really be?_

She forced herself to remember something, anything that could help her understand, but her mind was like a black hole. Every time she tried her head pounded like it was about to explode and she eventually stopped.

When it was time for dinner – she saw all the boys leaving for the Homestead – she wiped all signs of crying from her face and followed them, hoping they wouldn’t notice. She had almost reached the Homestead, when she heard a voice calling from behind.

“Hey!”

She turned and saw Newt jogging in her direction. She didn’t notice before, but he had a slight limp. It wasn’t so obvious, but she couldn’t refrain herself from wondering what happened to him.

“Hi Newt” she greeted him with a smile. She was glad to see a familiar face.

“How’s the tour greenie?”

“Oh come on, not you too! I already endured Gally calling me that all afternoon. My name is Vicky.” She whined, the smile turning into a grimace.

“Would ya prefer me to call ya _love_?” a smirk growing on his face.

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” Why couldn’t they just use her name?

“So? How’d ya like it here?”

“Apart from being stuck here and being the only girl? I think it’s not that bad. I also managed to know some of the boys while I was waiting” she lied, hoping to sound convincing. He smiled.

“How was the Gathering?” She was so curious to know.

“I think I convinced Alby ya’re not a threat and we decided ya’ll be sleepin’ in the Homestead. Later I’ll show you the place.”

“Are you sure? I think a hammock would be just fine.”

“Don’t ya worry. It’s just until we found another place anyway, shouldn’t take long.”

“Okay” she said shrugging her shoulders.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Startin’ from tomorrow ya’ll be tryin’ each job and after a week we’ll decide where ya’ll work. Ya’ll be starting with the Slicers.”

“Lucky me” she mumbled enough for him to hear.

“Enough talk, ain’t ya hungry?” Her stomach growled in response and he laughed. “Come on, let’s go get something to eat. I’ll introduce ya to Frypan.”

She didn’t even realize she was starving. When was the last time she ate? She couldn’t remember.

When they entered the kitchen most of the Gladers were already there eating their food and chatting together. As they saw Vicky, they paused for a moment, their prying eyes set on her. She ignored them and followed Newt who was already standing in line waiting for the food. It didn’t take long.

“Hey Fry, meet the new greenie!”

A stocky boy with dark skin and curly short dark hair came out from his station to greet them.

“Hi Newt! Hi greenie, name’s Frypan, but you can call me Fry” he said smiling, wiping one of his hands on his trousers before extending it to her “Nice to meet you.”

“Apparently my name’s greenie, but you can call me Vicky” She said sarcastically and reached his hand to shake it.

“She’s funny man!”

“Fry here cooks the best food in the world, I assure ya” said Newt elbowing him teasingly.

“I hope so, ‘cause I’m starving.”

“No worries sweetie, I’m the best. Give me a minute” and with that he returned to what he was doing, just to come back a few moments later with two bowls of stew in his hands.

“Enjoy it!”

“Thanks Fry!”

“Is that his real name?” she asked Newt curiously.

“No, name’s Siggy, but he prefers we call him Fry” he explained.

The tables were almost all occupied, so they reached two other Gladers who had already finished their dinner and were chatting loudly. One of them had Asian traits, with almond-shaped dark eyes, well-kept short black hair, an athletic figure and a sassy look on his face. The other one instead had short blond messy hair, blue eyes and was also fairly athletic. They were both wearing some sort of leather vest together with some matching cuffs.

“Minho! Ben!” called Newt.

“Hey shank!” The Asian boy turned his head away from the other boy and a glint of surprise crossed his eyes when he saw her.

“So, this is the she-bean that everybody’s talking about!” he smirked.

“In flesh and blood” she joked. Since she was the only girl here and a novelty, she figured the word got out pretty fast.

“I’m Minho, and this slinthead here is Ben.”

The other boy gave him a pissed look, but he quickly looked back and waved at her, grinning.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, I’m Vicky” she said and sat down next to Newt. She could now smell the delicious scent of meat coming from her bowl. She didn’t wait any longer and finally helped herself, enjoying every bite of it. They weren’t kidding when they said Frypan cooking was the best. She made a mental note to tell him about it later.

The boys looked at her amused.

“So, how was your first day greenie?” Minho asked curious.

“It was fine, I guess. Gally showed me around and explained me about all the jobs. It was a lot to take in, but I think I’ll be ok.”

“ _That_ Gally?” Ben asked shocked in a whisper.

“Yeah, he yells a lot but he was quite nice. Even though I asked a lot of questions, which I think pretty annoyed him, he still answered all of them.”

“Are you sure we’re talking about the same person?” The boys now looking at each other puzzled. _What’s their problem?_

“You know Newt, you were right. He’s not _that_ bad.” She smirked. She really thought he wasn’t bad at all. A bit rude, sure, and he complained a lot, but in the end he bore with her all afternoon. Minho and Ben were still staring with their mouth open. She didn’t understand why they were fussing so much about it.

In that exact moment Gally walked through the room with his food ready to find a spot on one of the tables.

Minho noticed him and shouted, “Hey Gally! The greenie told us you were _nice_! You sure you’re ok?” He smirked.

“What are you doing?” Vicky hissed through her teeth. She already annoyed him a lot that day and she didn’t want to make him dislike her more then he already did.

“Just having fun.” He shrugged.

Gally’s eyes widened for a brief moment and then he glared at Minho like he wanted to kill him. “Ya better shut your shucking mouth” he growled.

“That’s the Gally _I_ know” said Minho, a stupid grin still on his face.

She saw Gally’s hands tighten on his tray and she was sure he was ready to hit him any moment. She didn’t want to cause a fuss, so she stepped in front of Gally and quickly murmured “Sorry.” And then added, almost pleading “Can you let it go?” She hoped he wasn’t too angry. _That idiot._

His eyes darted from Minho to her and she noticed a bit of his anger fading away. He then grunted and walked past them to sit with the rest of the builders.

“Sooo… did he tell ya about tonight?” asked Newt excited, trying to ease the tension.

She remembered him saying something about it, but he left her before explaining. “What about tonight?”

“We’re throwin’ a party for ya. We do that every time there’s a new greenie.”

“Sounds fun.” She wasn’t exactly in the mood for it, but maybe it was for the best.

“Oh yeah, can’t wait for it! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a shower.” Minho exclaimed.

“Good that. Ya shuckin’ smell like shit.”

“This is the smell of a real man, you shank!” he said slapping Newt on the shoulder. “See you later!” And with that Minho stood up, ruffled her hair and exited the kitchen, followed soon after by Ben.

“What an idiot” she said under her breath, fixing her hair. “Is he always like this?” she asked Newt.

“Pretty much” he replied sniggering.

They remained there for a while, finishing their dinner, until Newt said it was time to go.

“Don’t wanna to miss your own party.”

He then put his arm around her shoulder, guiding her to the bonfire area. When they arrived, she saw a big campfire burning brightly, surrounded with trunks where a bunch of boys were sitting. The others were scattered on the ground singing and laughing. They joined them around the fire and Newt introduced her to Winston, since the day after she was supposed to be working with him. He was a dark-haired boy with warm brown skin and brown eyes. He didn’t say much, but he seemed ok. After a while Newt left her to go grab something to drink.

While waiting she heard loud noises coming from the right side of the bonfire and she noticed that there was a group of Gladers in circle, shouting encouragements to a boy – who she noticed was the one that made that stupid remark during the tour – that was fighting with Gally. This latter, clearly having the upper hand, shoved the kid on the ground out of the sandy circle. He obviously enjoyed that. _Serves you_ right, she thought, looking at Gally almost proudly. In that moment he turned around and their eyes met, but it didn’t last long because he quickly averted his gaze. She was a bit disappointed, without even knowing why. Soon after he was already looking for his next victim.

Vicky though continued to watch him for a long minute, amused by his strength. She was so absorbed in her thoughts, that she jumped from her sit when someone whispered in her ear.

“You all alone greenie?” She immediately recognized that sassy tone.

“Oh God Minho! Don’t do that! You scared the hell out of me!”

“My bad” he chuckled.

She rolled her eyes. “Also, can you stop with the greenie thing?”

“Mmm, I don’t know. What do I get for it?”

“That I don’t smack you in the head for a start” she said jokingly, showing him her palm.

He looked at her feigning shock, “You wouldn’t!”

“Don’t try me.” She winked.

“What about _princess_ then?”

 _Oh great! Maybe greenie would have been better_ , she thought. “Princess. Really? Is that all you got?”

“Are you sure you wanna know?” He smirked.

“Oh, whatever. I give up” she said exhausted, realizing that arguing with him wouldn’t get her anywhere. A sigh escaped her mouth and she turned to the bonfire. Her gaze lingering again at the circle of fighting boys.

“Do you wanna try?” he said, moving his head in the direction of Gally. He probably caught her staring.

“No way. I don’t need a broken arm, thanks.”

“Too bad. We really need someone to beat the shuck out of him. No one ever won against Gally.”

“Can’t say I didn’t expect that” She chuckled.

They made some more small talk before Newt came back with a bottle of what seemed like a sort of liquor.

“Wanna try love?” he asked with a grin on his face.

“Wait! He can call you _love_ and I can’t call you _princess_?” protested Minho, crossing his arms on his chest and pretending to be offended.

“Princess?” Newt seemed confused, his brows furrowed.

“Oh shut up Minho! You’re such a drama queen” she blurted and turned to Newt. “What’s that?” She asked, looking at the brownish liquid with a frown on her face.

“Somethin’ that will warm ya up. It’s Gally’s secret recipe.”

“Alright.” She took a long sip and a burning sensation flooded in her throat, causing her to cough loudly. She didn’t expect that.

“Are you sure it’s not poison?” she asked, still coughing.

“Easy there” said Minho.

Newt laughed his socks off as he reached the bottle to take another sip. “Might be. But it tastes better the second time.”

 _Are you really sure he didn’t want to kill you all with it?_ That’s what she wanted to say, but she only mumbled, “I doubt it.”

“Oh! I heard you’re with Winston tomorrow. Aren’t you excited?” Minho asked.

“Oh yeah, sure. Who wouldn’t be itching to slaughter something?” she retorted with a roll of her eyes. “Maybe you’ll be next” she said winking at him.

“I think I like you” He chuckled.

“Speaking of which, what do you do?”

“Me? I’m the Keeper of-“

“You? A Keeper? No way!” she retorted sarcastically, cutting him off.

“Don’t underestimate me. I’m the king of the Runners princ-!”

Newt slapped Minho in the head and give him a scowl. Probably he didn’t want her to know. She remembered Gally telling her he wasn’t supposed to speak about it.

“Hey! What was that for?”

“It’s ok Newt. Gally already told me about them.”

“That klunkhead! I told him to just take it easy.”

“It’s my fault, really. He didn’t want to, but I sort of forced him to.” She felt a bit guilty now. Newt and Minho looked at each other.

“What did you do to force something out of _him?!”_ they both asked in disbelief.

“I may have yelled at him until he spit it out” she replied with remorse and then she heard them laughing again, even harder than before.

It took a while for Newt to compose himself, but then he said “Ya don’t seem too bothered though.” She noticed a hint of suspiciousness in his voice and a small frown on his face.

“Maybe she’s jacked” suggested Minho with a smirk.

She didn’t want them to suspect her, but she surely wouldn’t tell them that in reality she was very scared. Who wouldn’t be? They were trapped inside a Maze surrounded by dangerous creatures that could kill them at any time. She just didn’t want them to think she was weak or that she needed protection. Everyone was on the same boat and she should have to bear with it like the rest of them. So, she chose a half truth.

“Actually, I don’t really know how I should feel.” She sighed. “Everything is so confused.”

“Alright, alright. Enough with the gloomy talk” he said.

Then he suddenly stood up, stretched his arm to her and asked with a broad smile, “Wanna dance love?”

“Why not.”

She was tired of sitting and for some time she wanted to forget all her worries. She took his hand, he pulled her up and they reached the center of the fireplace. Newt started to make her swing, but after a while he was swirling her around the place, until they lost balance and fall on the ground. They looked at each other and then laughed their heart out, deciding to take stop to catch their breaths.

An hour passed and by now most of the guys were either too drunk or too tired to continue with the party, so Alby called it a day. Before leaving though Vicky saw him walking towards her.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yeah, sure. It was really nice.” A smile crossing her face.

“Glad to hear that” he said calmly. “You’ll have to get used to this place quickly if you wanna survive.”

As he spoke his body stiffened, a slight frown on his face. Her smile disappeared.

“I know” she said helplessly, turning to look at the Maze doors.

“Gally told you?” He didn’t seem angry, more like confused. She gulped.

“Yeah. He… he explained me _everything_ ” she said, stressing on the last part. “But, I’m alright, really.” This time she didn’t sound very convincing and Alby must have noticed her stir.

“If you ain't scared, you ain't human" he said. “Act any different and I’d throw you off the Cliff because it’d mean you’re a psycho.” His feature now relaxed a bit more, but he still maintained a stern face. _Cliff?_ _What’s that?_ She didn’t dare to ask.

Vicky scrutinized him for a little while, not sure how to continue the conversation. She found him a bit intimidating, always with a severe look and an upright posture. However, she guessed that since Alby was the first, he was probably just concerned about his family and the peace of the Glade.

In that moment a shrieking sound, followed by a piercing cry echoed into the silence of the night. Vicky body began to shake slightly, but she tried to compose herself.

“What was _that_?!” she asked warily.

“The Grievers … and the Maze. It’s changing.” Alby replied.

“Changing?” Gally didn’t talk about that.

“Yeah, it happens every night.”

She couldn’t believe her ears. _Are you kidding me?_

“That’s why we have a hard time find a way out” he sighed. “But maybe now we stand a chance. If what’s written on the note is true, that is. You really know nothing about it?”

She shook her head apologetically, “I’m sorry.”

He didn’t say anything but looked intently at her, as if to check if she was telling the truth and she didn’t dare to break the silence. _Maybe Newt didn’t do a very good job at convincing him._ After a while he spoke again.

“I bet you must be very tired by now. You’ll have a busy day tomorrow. Ask Newt to show you where you’ll sleep. ‘Night greenie.” She nodded and he walked away.

“Welcome to my room” said Newt, holding the doorknob to let Vicky in. “It’s not much, but will do for the next few days.”

The room was small and sparsely furnished. Just a bed, made of a few boards holding a ruined mattress, a small table with a chair and a closet where Newt’s clothes and some of his belongings were scattered.

“It’s more than fine.” She said patting his shoulder. “But, are you sure about this? I don’t have a problem sleeping outside.”

“Don’t worry love,” he reassured her “as much as I trust these lads, they’re teenagers goin’ through puberty after all.” She nodded, he had a point. “Ya can use these for tonight” he said lending her a white shirt and a pair of black shorts. “If ya need anythin’ else just come to me, I’ll be right outside on my hammock.” He was just about to close the door when she reached out to him.

“Hey Newt!”

“Mmh?”

“Thanks.” A small smile on her face.

He smiled warmly back at her, “Good night love” and he was gone.

Vicky looked at the clothes Newt left on the bed. They were a bit worn out, but just enough for her, so she changed quickly. She removed the black combat boots, placing them in a corner and then she took off the pair of brown cargo pants and the long-sleeved khaki green shirt.

As she undressed, she noticed there were some sort of red ligature marks both on her wrists and on her ankles. She frowned, trying to remember anything that could have caused it, but nothing only another sting. She sighed. She was too tired to think about anything else, so she decided to go to sleep and leave it for another day. Not before taking a mental note to always wear something to cover the signs. At least until they faded. Then she untangled her braid, put her head on the pillow and fell into a deep sleep.


	4. Greenie on Trial

VICKY

Vicky was sound asleep when a hand seized her mouth, causing her to jolt, her eyes opened in shock. She was just about to throw a punch to whoever it was, but then realization came in and the hand released her.

“Alby?”

He put his forefinger on his lips and then whispered, “Follow me.” And she did so.

The sun wasn’t even up, and everything was quiet. All the Gladers were still asleep, someone snoring. _Why are we up so early?_

“Where are we going?” she asked, yawning and stretching her arms. Even if she fell immediately asleep the night before, she still felt exhausted.

“You’ll see in a minute”

They finally reached one of the walls. It was covered in ivy and Alby reached out a spot and began to remove some of it, revealing a small glass window. He gestured her to look through it and she reluctantly moved closer. At first, she didn’t see anything, apart from a long corridor which end she couldn’t see. She was about to say something when she heard whirring and clicking sounds approaching, and finally spotted an enormous creature rushing through the corridor in their direction. She gave a worried look to Alby.

“Don’t worry, it can’t reach us.”

It was a bulbous, dark creature, with many appendages such as spikes, shears, and rods. As it reached the window with a loud thud, Vicky fell backwards, shaking.

“Shit!”

Alby crouched near the girl and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder trying to calm her down.

“Griever?” she asked, her voice trembling with fear. _What a great way to start the day!_

“Yeah. Probably their watchdogs. I thought it was best to show you.”

“In case I was thinking of taking a morning walk in the Maze?” she said, trying to sound confident but failing miserably.

“Just to make sure.”

“Thought dogs were cuter.” She joked, but she couldn’t stop the shaking. “As far as I remember though.”

He gave her a small chuckle. “Come on, we ain’t finished” he said and then helped her stood up.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Alby said walking across the Glade. “It’s hard to believe, but it wasn’t always this way. In dark days, we lost a lot of boys to fear, but we’ve come far since then. Establishing order, peace.”

She listened quietly, wondering if he was telling her this because he still thought she was would do something. He then brought her to another spot on the wall where, this time, various names were carved on it.

“You’re one of us now” he said, extending her a knife. She reluctantly reached it and got closer to the wall to read them. Alby, Newt, Jeff, George, Nick, Gally, Minho, and many others. Some of the names were crossed.

“What happened to them?”

“Like I said, dark days Vicky.”

She gulped but swung the knife in her hand and started to carve her name. V-I-C-K-Y.

* * *

They were early for breakfast, only the Runners were up. She greeted Frypan with a smile and when she spotted Minho and Ben eating, she joined them at the table. It wasn’t long until she heard the loud creaking of the wall’s doors opening and with that, they boys booted towards the door.

“Good luck with Winston princess” grinned Minho.

“I think you need it more than me” she replied and waved at them.

Soon the kitchen came to life. Newt and Gally were the first to arrive.

“Good morning love!”

“Greenie.”

“Mo-Orning guys” she said with a loud yawn.

Newt sat down next to her, while Gally reached for another table. Did he dislike her that much?

“Rough night?” asked Newt.

“No, but Alby woke me up at dawn to show me your watchdogs. Didn’t think they were so pretty.”

“Ain’t they?” He chuckled.

Meanwhile, she noticed Gally gave her sideways glance from the other side.

“Then you better follow the rules if you don’t want to meet them” he smirked. Apparently, he was close enough to hear their conversation.

“Thanks _Gal_ ” she replied absentminded while poking her food. The words escaped her mouth without her even noticing. _Wait, what? Did I just call him ‘Gal’?_ She slowly lifted her head and judging from both Newt and Gally’s shocked stares, yes, she did. _Shit! Why the hell did I call him ‘Gal’? Where did it come from?_ They came out naturally, as if she used to do that a lot. They even sounded familiar, but she couldn’t understand why. She barely knew him.

Newt stopped eating, his mouth opened, while Gally gave her a death stare after recovering from the initial surprise.

“Did you just call him _Gal_?”

“What the shuck greenie? Don’t call me that.”

 _Great job Vicky,_ she thought, mentally slapping herself. But then the realization hit her. Maybe she could use this to her advantage. She knew he wouldn’t like it, but she was tired of him calling her ‘greenie’ and wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine. _Maybe he’ll stop._

“Not a chance” she countered, trying to sound casual.

“I’m serious.”

“Then stop calling me greenie.”

“I’m not compromising here. Just don’t” he repeated with a serious tone, pointing his fork to her. He was trying to intimidate her, she knew that, but unfortunately for him it didn’t work.

She shrugged her shoulders and looking bored, she replied, “I don’t think so.” She wouldn’t back out either.

“I’m warning you greenie, you’re playing with fire.”

She didn’t reply and continued to eat, while Newt stared at her in disbelief.

“Did you just ignore me?” grunted Gally, evidently pissed off.

She rolled her eyes, still ignoring him but to her surprise, and apparently also Newt’s, Gally mumbled something she couldn’t hear and went back to quickly finish his breakfast in silence before storming out of the kitchen. After he left, she sighed loudly.

“Where the bloody hell did _that_ came from?” asked Newt both confused and surprised.

“I don’t even know!” She couldn’t believe she actually did it. “Now I’ve really done it.” It sounded way better in her head. Wasn’t she supposed to made up to him? At least that _was_ her plan after all her bugging on the first day. She didn’t want him to hate her just because they started off bad, but she couldn’t stand the way he called her ‘greenie’. It was different from the way the others said it. Almost with spite. Vicky was still in her thoughts, when a voice brought her to reality.

“Don’t worry love, he just doesn’t like changes. And ya’re a big one” he explained with a smile. “I’m sure he’ll understand ya’re not a threat.” She hoped he was right.

They quickly finished and then Newt accompanied her to the Blood House before leaving for the Track-hoes. He worked there when he didn’t have second-in-command’s stuff to do. Winston was waiting for her and as soon as she arrived, he showed Vicky her task.

“Alright greenie, follow me” he said after collecting some tools and a canvas bag.

He took her to a large pen where five sheep were standing, carefree grazing the grass around them. He opened the fence and waved her to go inside, still not saying a word. She hoped she wouldn’t have to slice them for a start.

“Why are we here?”

“You’re going to shear them” he explained, and she let out a sigh of relief. “I’ll show you how to do it.”

With that he pulled out from his butcher’s apron what seemed like strange scissors, he approached one of the sheep and put it in a sitting position, leaning its back on his legs. Then he started to cut the wool on her belly and around her legs, and he continued until the end, shifting the animal as he needed to. Vicky watched him intently, trying to memorize every passage _. That’s impressive._ When he finished Winston lent her the scissors and said, “Now you’ll do it.”

She nodded and approached another sheep, but when she tried to catch it with her arms, it run, and she fell on her face. She heard a loud sigh from behind her.

“Not like that” he said clearly annoyed. _How was I supposed to know that?_ She wanted to ask, but he anticipated her. “You have to make it trust you first.”

“How?”

He didn’t reply but took a bunch of hay spread on the grass, slowly crouched down near the sheep and while feeding it he began to pat it on the back.

“You’re really good at this, you know?” she said crossing her arms on her chest.

“Your turn.”

She took a deep breath and did what Winston showed her. It took her a few attempts, but to her surprise it worked and after she put the sheep in the same sitting position, she started to shear it. It was more difficult than it seemed, and the animal wouldn’t cooperate either. In the end, she managed to chop only a bunch of wool before the sheep escaped again, and Winston had to spend almost an hour trying to teach her again how to do it.

“I think I got it now” she said proudly.

“Good. When you’re finished put the wool in the bag and come back. I’ll tell you want to do next.” And then he turned around and left her alone.

The morning went by quite fast. She didn’t exactly do a good job, but Winston didn’t say anything and after that he sent her to pick up some eggs to deliver to Frypan.

The afternoon instead was a lot worse. He finally decided it was time for Vicky to try the real work. Slaughter a chicken.

“Do I really have to do it?” she asked reluctantly, hoping he would change his mind.

He put his hands on his hips and said, “Everyone had to, so no complaints. Now, do exactly as I told you. That way it won’t feel pain.”

 _I hope he’s right._ She gulped but increased the grip on the chicken trying not to look at its pleading eyes. She stretched her armed hand up her head but hesitated for a long moment when it moved under her other hand.

“I don’t have all day” she heard Winston complain. “Hurry up.”

She actually wanted to run away and let him do it, but then, out of the corner of her eye she noticed a bunch of Slicers peering at her, probably waiting for her to leave at any moment. _If they can do it, so do it_ , she thought. So, she took a deep breath and with a single blow she cut the chicken neck. Blood started to spill and some of it finished on her face and clothes. _Oh great!_ Her eyes widened and she felt so sick she wanted to throw up but hold back as best as she could, clenching the edge of the table. _Hang in there Vicky, come on._

Her face probably went white because soon Winston took the knife out of her hand and said grinning, “That’s enough greenie. You can go and wash your face.” And he threw her a piece of clean cloth.

Vicky didn’t need to hear it twice and fled outside to reach the water tank. She splashed the water on her face and rubbed it with all her might to remove the blood.

The sickness was getting better, but before going back she sat on the grass leaning her back on the tank and closed her eyes. After a while she heard the sound of footsteps approaching and a shadow covered her. Before she could ask who was there, it spoke.

“You ok?” said a voice she didn’t knew.

“Yeah, thanks. I’ll come back in a minute.”

Vicky thought the boy came to bring her back, but when she opened her eyes and they adjusted to the light, she noticed his genuinely concerned face.

“Don’t worry. I saw you in there. Didn’t think you would really do it.” He grinned.

She rolled her eyes. “I know I’m not a boy, but you could at least give me some credit” she retorted.

“Well, at least you lasted more than the previous greenie. He fainted as soon as he entered the room.” He smirked at the thought.

“I wonder _why_ ” she said.

“By the way, I’m Artie.”

“Vicky, nice to meet you.”

After that they went back, but Winston let her take the rest of the day off. He didn’t want to risk her fainting again and as much as she wanted to help, she was grateful and didn’t complain. She decided she would definitely not work there and doubted Winston would have had anything against it either.

GALLY

After the conversation with Vicky at breakfast Gally stormed out of the kitchen. He had a reputation to uphold. Not only for himself, but for Alby too. That’s why he needed Gally. To help him keep them in place when they went overboard. He didn’t dislike it though. For him it was also a good way to hide his fears, his weaknesses and to keep going.

And there she was, ruining everything he had built so far. Not only Vicky was making fun of him in front of everyone, making some of the boys question his authority, but she didn’t even seem scared of him and for some reason it made him uncomfortable. It was as if she realized it was just a façade and that in reality, he was only afraid. Afraid of that place, of the Grievers, of his recurrent nightmares that prevented him to sleep most of the nights, of becoming too close to someone and then see them dying.

 _Slim it,_ he thought. _There’s no way she knows. She’s either very brave or very stupid._

And then there was the fact that she was a girl. She certainly couldn’t be as strong as the boys and she probably wouldn’t last long in that place anyway. She would only be a burden, not to mention a distraction and they didn’t need either of them. She wasn’t even supposed to be here in the first place. For a brief moment he considered the idea of banishing her, but he immediately pushed it away. Then Minho’s words echoed in his mind. ‘The greenie told us you were _nice._ ’ Nice. Would she say it again if she knew what was he thinking? He doubted it. A nice person wouldn’t even dare to think about that. He couldn’t believe she thought he was nice, not after the way he treated her, but at the same time he felt a hint of happiness. No one ever said that about him.

 _Maybe she’s not that ba- No. Snap out of it,_ he scolded himself. _She’s doesn’t know you, and she never will. Why do you even care what she thinks about you?_

Gally was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even realize someone approached him and was talking to him until he waved a hand in front of his face.

“Earth to Gally.” He turned and saw Adam looking at him quizzically.

“What do you want?” he grunted.

“Oh, I don’t know, _maybe_ to know what our plans are for today?”

“Oh…yeah” he said turning back to reality. “Tell those shanks to start chop some wood. We need more boards to build another shower block. I’ll come in minute.”

“Aye-aye _Captain_ ” replied Adam and jogged back to report his orders.

Gally then took a deep breath, pushed all his thoughts away and followed him, ready to begin his work. It was the only thing that distracted him from all the challenges they had to endure, the only certainty in their uncertain lives. Also, the only thing that made him tolerate that situation.

Time flew while working and soon lunch was ready, but differently from that morning he went to sit as far away as possible from where Vicky was. In the corner of his eye he noticed she casted a quick glance at him, but he ignored it. He didn’t want to talk with her right now.

The afternoon was more or less the same. They managed to prepare enough boards for the shower walls and they only needed to redefine and sand them. So, Gally and a bunch of Builders went to the toolshed to retrieve what they needed. While walking he caught a glimpse of a black spot lying on the grass. It was Vicky.

_What the shuck is she doing? Wasn’t she supposed to work with Winston?_

Before he knew it, he was standing above her, shadowing her from the sunlight.

“I thought I told you _no slackers_ , greenie.”

She lazily opened her eyes and put herself in a sitting position.

“Hey _Gal_ ” she said calmly. He frowned hearing the nickname again. “Winston let me take the rest of the day off. I wasn’t of much help.”

He didn’t like the idea. He was worried that the boys would complain about it but thought it best not to make another fuss in front of everyone. He’ll talk to Alby later.

“I’m watching you, _greenie_ ” he said sternly. “And don’t expect any special treatment from me.” He didn’t wait for a reply and was starting to walk away, when a nasal voice came from behind.

“Isn’t it just because you’re a girl?” He forgot he was with Jim and Dave. _Why can’t they just mind their business?_

“I bet Winston only wanted you to have a special consideration for him. If you know what I mean.” Dave smirked.

Gally was starting to get angry. Yeah, he didn’t like that Winston treated her differently, but it didn’t mean they could talk like that about him. Or her.

“Hey, slim it!”

“Oh, come on Gally, you’re the same. Isn’t it because of it that you didn’t want to fight with her yesterday? Or that you let her call you nicknames? If it was one of us, you would have already broken our bones.”

“Shut your shucking mouth Dave” he growled. Now he was really crossing the line, but before he could reply, Vicky intervened.

“He’s not a creep like _you”_ she said angrily, and he could see the scowl forming on her face. Why was she defending him? For all she knew Dave could have been right.

“How do you know? It hasn’t even been a day since you arrived, and you think you know him?” asked Jim annoyed.

“He could have already tried something if he wanted to, but he didn’t. So yeah, I’m pretty sure he’s not like you.”

“Oh, _really_? I didn’t know you went soft Gally. Maybe I’ll need a pair of that too” Dave said grinning, pointing at Vicky’s chest, causing both his and Jim laughter. At that Gally snapped. Maybe he wasn’t nice, but he surely didn’t want to be associated with the like of them. He charged at Dave and took him by his shirt, his face went white. Meanwhile Jim already flew away.

“I said. Shut. Your. Shucking. Mouth.” He was ready to punch his face, but suddenly Vicky grabbed his arm and put herself between them.

“No, stop it!”

“Let me go” he hissed and in a fit of rage shoved her so hard she fell on the ground. Apparently, it didn’t stop her from stopping him again before he could hit Dave.

“Hey,” she whispered with a soft voice, “look at me.” He shifted his gaze to her, looking intently at her bluish eyes. He saw concern and for a brief moment his anger subsided.

“Do you remember what you said to me? Never hurt another Glader” she continued quietly, as if she was trying to calm him. “Do you want to end up in the Slammer?”

“Yeah _Gal,_ ” said Dave mimicking Vicky’s voice, “do you want to end up in the Slammer?.”

He was furious. How dare he spoke to him like that? He moved to punch him again, but Vicky was still blocking him, one hand on his arm and the other on his chest.

“You better shut up Dave, or I’ll be the one to punch you in the face” she growled and then turned again to Gally.

“He’s not worth it.”

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, she was right. But why did she care? He slowly released his grip and Dave crashed on the grass, while Vicky finally stepped away from him.

“Get the shuck out of my face!” Gally shouted and Dave quickly stood up and run away.

He was still breathing hard, his body tense, when he felt a hand on his right arm.

“You ok?” asked Vicky carefully. He retracted his arm harshly.

“Don’t touch me” he hissed.

“Sorry, I-“

Before she could finish though, Gally turned and walked away. He heard Vicky calling for him, but he didn’t stop. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with anyone, so he headed for the Deadheads.


	5. Not Afraid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi (:  
> I'm sorry if this chapter isn't very long and maybe a bit boring. Next week I'll be finished with my exams, so I promise I'll write more. Also, tell me if there's something you would like to see happen in the story.

What do you want from me? Why don't you run from me?

What are you wondering? What do you know?

Why aren't you scared of me? Why do you care for me?

When we all fall asleep, where do we go?

[Bury a Friend - Billie Eilish]

* * *

VICKY

“Wait!” she called, but Gally didn’t stop.

Vicky noticed some of the other Gladers were looking in their direction, so she fell silent and decided to follow him, not wanting to draw any more attention. She wasn’t sure it was the best idea after what happened, but she needed to apologize to him. Not that she did something bad, but she felt somehow responsible for the things David said.

She saw him heading to the Deadheads and she had to walk faster to keep his brisk pace. _Damn him and his long legs!_ When she finally reached him, Gally was leaning his head against a tree. The creaking of dried leaves and twigs under her boots immediately caught his attention and he turned towards her. His face still red with anger and fists clenched on his sides.

“This is all your fault!” he roared.

“ _Excuse me?!”_

Even though she expected his tantrum, she was a bit taken aback by that. Yes, she did make fun of him that morning, but to say all of that was her fault was a bit too much.

 _Well, you can’t blame me if have pricks for friends_ , was what she wanted to say, but then she remembered why she came here. _Ok, calm down. You don’t need to make him angrier than he already is._

“ _Why_ did you follow me?” he demanded annoyed.

“Well, I-” she tried to explain, but he cut her off again as if she wasn’t really supposed to answer.

“Leave. Me. Alone.”

“No, I won’t,” she said upset. “We need to talk.”

“ _We?!_ _I_ don’t have anything to talk to _you_ about.”

He gave her a death stare and from the tone of his voice she knew he was serious, but she had to talk to him. She wouldn’t back off so easily.

“What do you want from me? Why don’t you run from me? I’m not the nice guy you think I am!” He was yelling and throwing his hands in the hair, but she was sure she heard a hint of sadness behind those last words.

“I don’t think so” she stated calmly.

His brows furrowed even more, his lips got thinner and he quickly moved closer. Surprised, she stepped back a little until her back hit a tree, but Gally didn’t stop. He crashed his hands on the tree on both sides of her head, trapping her. They were only inches apart and her heart started to beat faster. If it was for his mad eyes boring holes into hers, making her feel exposed, or for his proximity, she didn’t know.

“What do you know? What if Dave was right and I was really tricking you?” he asked with a steady growl, but she held his gaze.

“Were you?” asked Vicky with a raised brow, already knowing the answer. “Because if that’s true, then you should revise your picking up technique. Especially the threatening part” she said smirking. Her heart refusing to slow down though.

For a brief moment, she saw his face going from angry to quizzical, and then angry again.

“Why aren’t you scared of me?” he asked in a whisper.

She continued to stare at him and despite his irritated tone, she noticed he was eagerly waiting for her answer. She didn’t really know how to reply though, because she didn’t even know herself. However, there was something that told her she could trust him. That could also explain why she was so desperate to have him on her side.

“I don’t know, my instinct maybe” she tried to explain. “It’s just a feeling, but I don’t think it’s wrong.”

He remained still, his stormy eyes still lost in hers, as if he was trying to find any sense to what she was saying. She could see a lot of different emotions behind them. Anger, confusion, fear, and maybe relief. After a long silence, Gally moved from her and averted his eyes.

“We should go back,” he said sternly, starting to walk away.

“Gally wait!” She still didn’t do what she came for.

“What now?!”

“I’m sorry.” She stopped, expecting some kind of reaction from him, but he didn’t say a word. He only crossed his arms on his chest, waiting for Vicky to go on. “I didn’t mean to cause all this fuss.”

“I don’t need your pity” he hissed.

“I’m not pitying you!” she shouted making him blink in surprise. She was starting to lose her patience now. _Why does he have to be so stubborn?!_ She took a deep breath and tried again.

“Listen, I’m not saying we should be buddies, but I don’t want you to dislike me only because we started off on the wrong foot.” She paused again, thinking about what to say next.

“We should be able to work together if we want to survive this place, right? So, why don’t we start afresh?” A weak smile on her face. “Then if you still don’t like me, I won’t bother you again.” This time it was her anxiously waiting for his reply.

His eyes narrowed but he seemed to actually ponder her offer. Before he could answer they heard the sound of footsteps coming in their direction and then Alby and Newt appeared from behind a bunch of trees.

“Everything alright?” asked Alby shifting his gaze suspiciously between Vicky and Gally. They briefly looked at each other and then she spoke first.

“Sure, we were just talking,” she said, trying to sound as casual as possible. Newt eyed her concerned.

“Was the yelling part of it?” Alby looked directly at Gally this time and she noticed he didn’t know what to say.

“It was my fault” she replied in his stead. She didn’t miss his quizzical gaze, but she continued. “Winston gave me some time off and I didn’t know what to do, so I asked Gally if I could help him. He didn’t want to, but I was bored and when I insisted, he got angry. But we worked it out, right?” She knew it was a poor excuse, but it was all she could think of at that moment. As she suspected, Alby didn’t seem to truly believe her.

“Is it true Gally?”

She looked at him, hoping he would accept her previous offer and play along with her lie. Fortunately, he did.

“Yeah, it’s true” he simply said and Vicky sighed in relief.

Alby and Newt gave them another suspicious glare but didn’t press it any further and soon after they were heading back to the Homestead. Gally instead went back to give orders to his builders.

“What the bloody hell happened by the way?” he asked when he took notice of her red-stained shirt. When Winston let her leave, she wanted to ask Newt for one of his spare shirts, but she didn’t want to bother him while working, so she decided to wait for him to finish. She completely forgot about that.

“Oh, this? It’s Winston’s fault” she said, remembering him forcing her to slaughter the poor chicken.

“Tell me it’s not his,” said Newt almost jokingly.

“You got me” replied Vicky, raising her hands in defeat. “Anyway, do you have a spare one? Not that I don’t like patterns, you know, but it’s kind of uncomfortable.” He chuckled. “Also, can I take a shower?”

“Sure thing. Come with me,” he said, motioning her to follow him. It was almost time for the doors to close and in the distance, she noticed Minho and Ben entering the Glade from the East door and heading to the Map Room. Her gaze though lingered curiously on the deep opening in the wall that led to that intricate network of hallways, but suddenly a shiver went down her spine and her hands started sharking. She immediately averted her eyes. _Why am I so afraid of it?_ She mostly blamed the fact that it was full of Grievers, but deep down she felt there was more than that. As if her body was warning her about something.

* * *

The shower was really refreshing and helped her to wash away all her negative thoughts. Newt kindly offered to stand guard outside until she had finished, so she made it quick. She didn’t want to bother him much than necessary, even if she was sure he didn’t really mind. When she finished, she dried up at best and then put on his clothes. The shirt was a bit big and reached just above her knees and the sleeves were so long, she had to roll them up a bit to make them of the right length. She had asked him a long-sleeved one because she didn’t want them to see her marks, but he didn’t question her. Probably, he thought she would be cold at night. The pants were also very long and baggy, but she could have expected it since Newt was much taller than her. When she came out he couldn’t refrain laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“Sorry, it’s just ya’re bloody hilarious in those clothes,” he said between a giggle and another. He was probably right. She must have looked like a kid trying to wear her parents’ clothes. Parents. Did she even have parents? And if so, why was she here? Did they know it? Were they worried about her?

“Greenie?”

If the note was true and she was to be kept safe, maybe they were the ones who sent her here. Or not? She didn’t know what to think about it and the fact that she couldn’t remember a thing didn’t help her nerves. 

“Vicky? You ok?”

It took her a moment to notice that she was zoning out and Newt was calling out for her.

“Oh, yeah, sorry. I’m fine” she said quickly.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I was just thinking I should ask for something of my size next time the box comes up,” she said managing a small smile to try to reassure him. He didn’t seem convinced but didn’t say anything and smiled back. Suddenly her stomach started to growl. “Come on,” she said taking Newt’s arm, “time for dinner. I’m starving.”


	6. Calling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi shanks (:  
> Here you are the next chap!
> 
> As always I want to thank all the people who are still reading this. I promise something interesting will happen very soon.

VICKY

The next days of her trial were pretty much all the same. She woke up, had breakfast with Newt and, occasionally, Alby – sometimes even with Minho and Ben if she was up early – she went to the various places and did what they asked her to do.

After the Slicers, she tried for the Med-jacks and there she met Clint and Jeff, who were very friendly and gentle. There wasn't much to do, fortunately, since they rarely had serious cases. They sometimes had Slicers or Builders, which wasn't surprising considering their jobs, but she was clearly unfit for the job. She almost made a boy faint, trying to stitch him up, so Clint appointed her to the organization of the new supplies that arrived when she came up in the box. And this too was off the list.

Next in line were the Track-hoes. There Vicky was finally introduced to Zart, a rather quiet, blond-haired, quite big, and broody boy with a long face and droopy eyes that make him look as bored as possible. And in the same boring way, he explained to her what she had to do. This time she wasn't that bad, at least she could water the plants or pick up fruits and vegetables which were rather simple tasks, but she found it very dull. If it wasn't for Newt, who fortunately didn't have any second-in-command's duties that morning, she would have died of boredom. They talked a lot while picking up weeds and stuff. He told her many stories about the Glade and the other boys, how they became like this, and a lot of other interesting things, but her luck didn't last long. Newt had something else planned for the afternoon and she had to spend the rest of the day with Zart. She didn't dislike him, but he also wasn't someone who she would spend a lot of time with. Apparently, he wasn't very happy either or maybe it was just an impression, but Vicky didn't make the things easier. At one point a melody popped up in her head and she started to hum it subconsciously. She wasn't sure why and she couldn't remember the words either, but she couldn't refrain from doing it. Needless to say, Zart was pretty much pissed off by it, yelling at her to slim it every now and then without success, until he threatened her to make her go and pick up the manure. That definitely made her stop.

The third day she was sent to work in the kitchen with Frypan, but she almost set it on fire when he asked her to watch the cooking pan for a few minutes, so he decided to just make her peel some potatoes. "And try not to cut yourself!" he yelled from the other side of the kitchen. When Minho found out about it that night, she made fun of her for almost a week.

After all her failures she felt a bit depressed. There weren't many jobs left and she surely didn't want to become a burden. She wanted to do her part too and maybe that way they would also recognize her a bit more. There weren't other similar episodes after the second day, but she still felt an outsider, despite all Newt's effort in trying to comfort her.

"I think I'm a lost cause."

"Don't worry love, ya still have the Builders."

"Wait, what about the Runners? Don't I have to try them too?" she asked.

"Nope, that's not an option."

"Why? What if someone wants to be one then?" Not that she really wanted to, especially because of the bad feeling she had about it, but she thought everyone had to try everything.

"No one wants to be a Runner," he said sternly, the smile leaving his face and his warm eyes darkening. "Besides, you need to be chosen by Minho. You don't try" he explained.

"What if I get chosen then?"

He furrowed his brows, shifting his gaze from her to the Maze walls and said, "You have no idea what's like to be in there." He paused and then added, "I won't let that happen." She felt a bit relieved hearing his words, but at the same time she didn't want to be treated differently and if she had to do it, she would. Even if she was afraid of it herself. The way he was speaking, though, made her think that maybe something happened to him or someone close to him, and he seemed really bothered by it, so she didn't press it any further.

The last ones on the list were the Builders and she prayed this was the one because otherwise, she would have to work with the Sloppers. She had found out they were the ones who usually did the worst jobs when they didn't have to help around.

Vicky also hoped to improve her relationship with Gally. After what happened the second day, they didn't have many interactions. She thought he would be more friendly, but she only managed to speak to him during lunch or dinner and he always brushed her off when she pushed it too much. He was certainly less wary, but probably not totally convinced that she wasn't a threat to him or any of the other Gladers. Not that he blamed him, she didn't even know herself if she was or not. What she was sure of though, was that she was there just like them, trying to survive. She hoped he would understand it sooner or later.

When she reached the Builders' station, Gally was so busy studying some projects that he didn't even notice her. She remained silent and took the chance to take a better look at him. What she understood in the few days she was there was the fact that he seemed really passionate about his job and she really liked that about him. He had this natural talent when it came to build and create things, that she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.

.

* * *

.

GALLY

Gally was really concentrated on the piece of paper in front of him. This time they had been requested by Alby to build a new shower-box with an inside lock to prevent anyone to peek on Vicky, and so that she wouldn't have to ask Newt, Alby, or Minho to keep watch anymore. The Builders spent the previous days preparing the project, cutting and chopping wood for the walls, and taking measures, so they now had just to begin to assemble everything.

After a few minutes, he sensed her presence and looked back to find Vicky staring at him. _Oh, shuck, I forgot she was with us today_ , he thought annoyed. He was still suspicious about her presence in the Glade and even more by the fact that she didn't seem afraid of him, despite his bad temper. After their little discussion, she even tried to talk to him multiple times as if she wanted to understand him, and that scared him more than he wanted to admit. No one, apart from Newt and Minho, dared to speak to him more than it was necessary, but he liked to keep it that way. And now she was there trying to change everything. However, he had to admit that nothing strange had happened so far and that _maybe_ they could go back to the days before she arrived.

"What are ya looking at greenie?"

"Good morning to you too Gal," she said rolling her eyes. "What are we doing today?" She still didn't give up with that stupid nickname. He didn't like she was giving him so much confidence, but as much as he threatened her, she didn't stop.

"We need to assemble the pieces for your shower-box. Just.. try not to destroy anything, will ya?" After what he heard about her by the other Keepers, he was a bit reluctant to have her handle this kind of job. And she probably couldn't handle it anyway. She didn't seem very strong.

"I'll give you some simple tasks."

She rolled her eyes again and crossed her arms "I know you think I can't handle it, but at least try me. I thought you would treat me like the others."

Some of the builders who were already there heard their conversation and they made some comments about her being too weak, getting hurt, or slowing them down, and he noticed she did her best to ignore them. Gally hesitated a moment, not sure if it was a good idea, but then he saw her confident look and decided she was right. He shouldn't treat her any different, it was the rule. She couldn't slack off while the boys did the rest.

"Alright, show me what ya got" he grinned. "Go and get me those wooden boards," he said, pointing at a pile of planks near the Homestead.

"Good that," she said trying to sound casual and she gave him a thumb up. _Hope I'm not wrong about this_ , he thought, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

He knew the boards were really heavy, and he saw it cost her a lot of effort just to lift them up, much less going back and forth with them on her shoulders. At one point she indeed tripped badly and fell on the ground. At the sight, most of the builders burst out laughing.

"Didn't I tell ya she couldn't do it?"

"She's probably only good for shagging."

As Gally heard them the blood rushed to his head and he slapped them hard enough to make them bite their tongue. He should really teach those slintheads some respect. At least she was trying.

"Go back to your work!" he barked. "And if I hear another stupid remark like that, I'll shucking throw ya in the Maze. Am I clear?" After that, he jogged to Vicky to help her.

"You alright?" he asked while lifting the wooden board off of her.

"Yeah, I'm ok, thanks," she said, wiping her pants. He didn't miss her angry tone though. She probably heard them, and he certainly couldn't blame her. He asked himself if he hadn't been too hard on her. _Maybe it was too much._ However, she didn't complain one bit, she just picked up the plank again and continued with her job in silence. He watched her amused.

After that, some of the Builders were so impressed by her willpower that they changed their mind and soon started treating her like one of them. _She really is something_ , Gally thought.

"Not bad greenie," he said, hands on his hips, as she put down the last board, wiped her forehead from the sweat, and fling herself on the grass with open arms.

"I told you I could do it."

"We're not finished "he smirked. He wanted to see how much she could stand. "Next, go and help Adam with the shower tray." He swore he saw a glint of dismay in her eyes.

"Can't I rest for a while?" she wined.

"Not yet."

Vicky rolled her eyes growling but pulled herself up and went to Adam's station, while he went back to yell orders.

* * *

At the end of the day, Adam and Vicky had finally finished with the shower tray and Gally decided to take a look at it before putting everything together.

"How much did ya help her?"

"Actually, after I told her what to do, she just went on by herself" replied Adam almost proudly.

"Come on, who helped you?" not believing a word he just said. No way she did it by herself on the first try.

"You know, just because I wasn't good at anything else, doesn't mean I can't be good at this" she replied clearly annoyed.

"Yeah, no one helped her" intervened a tall black-haired boy who listened to the conversation.

"Maybe I underestimated ya greenie. Ya seem to have a flair for this" he said scratching the back of his head. He really was surprised. _I probably should give her more credit_ , he reluctantly admitted to himself.

"Yeah, she's incredibly good Gally. I wouldn't mind her to work with us" stated Adam with a smile on his face, casually putting an arm around her shoulder.

At that gesture, Gally's face darkened, but Vicky quickly shoved his arm away clearly uncomfortable.

"We'll see at the Gathering. For now, you can go and take a break before dinner" he said, still somewhat bothered by Adam touching her. He shook his head to chase away the thought. Why was he bothered anyway?

"Thanks guys, see you later!" And with that, she was gone.

At dinner he joined her, Newt and Minho at the table. Usually, he would sit alone or with the builders, but she basically forced him to eat with them. He was a bit annoyed; he only wanted a moment of peace during the day, and she was again changing his reassuring routine. However, he had to admit she proved herself that day, so he decided to play along just for that night.

"Are you sure ya're ok love? Ya don't look too good" Newt asked Vicky, his eyes full of concern.

"Woah, princess! You look like hell! Did you forget the makeup?" exclaimed Minho.

"Thank you _shuckface_ , I did my best to look like this" she retorted jokingly. "I'm just a bit tired, really. This big boy here worked me to death today" pointing at Gally who was sitting next to her.

"Well, I needed to see what you were made off," he said in his defense.

"Probably you went a bit overboard" stated Newt giggling.

"You didn't break anything, did you?" Minho asked her sarcastically.

"Of course not! As a matter of fact, I think I was pretty good, right Gally?"

"Maybe," he said nonchalantly, taking a sip from his glass. He wasn't going to praise her openly of course.

"What do you mean ' _maybe'_!? You said I had talent!" She elbowed him on the side, causing him to spill the water on his pants.

"Do it again and I'll make sure ya'll regret it." He glared at her annoyed, but she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'd like to see you try."

He blinked in surprise. _What the shuck is this girl, really?!_

Meanwhile, Newt and Minho were barely holding back from laughing at their exchange. And they were not the only ones in the kitchen. He noticed and frowned even deeper. He wasn't going to lose his reputation to this slinthead.

"Did you see that?" some people whispered, smirking off their faces.

His face reddened. "Shut your shucking mouth!" Gally shouted, shushing everyone in the room and going back to his dinner. "And you," pointing at Vicky, "you better stop it, or I'll vote for you to be working with the Sloppers" he hissed through his teeth.

She shrugged her shoulders and turned to Newt. _Did she just ignore me?_

"Yeah, speakin' of tomorrow's Gathering" Newt commented, composing himself, "anythin' ya want to say before we decide?"

"Just don't put me with the Sloppers" she pleaded, giving him puppy eyes.

"Can't promise that" he smirked, and they all laughed, apart from Gally. He was still pissed.

After that they continued to chat and laugh for a good hour, Gally just listening and nodding here and there, with Minho telling funny stories and gags before they called it a day and went back to their rooms.

.

* * *

.

VICKY

She still felt bad about using Newt's room and told him many times that she would be fine outside with the others, but he wouldn't budge, so she tried to compromise.

"Then you sleep with me." At that remark, his face reddened in embarrassment and when Vicky caught it, she quickly added "Not together, you shank! You sleep on the bed and I'll sleep on the hammock."

"Sorry," he said clearly embarrassed. He seemed to think about it for a second and then he said, "You sure you don't want the bed?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Alright. I'll be back in a minute."

He quickly came back with a hammock and after they finished preparing the room she could finally lay down and relax from the intense day. She put her hands behind her head and used the tip of her toe to push herself from the wall, swinging from one side to the other.

While relaxing she replied the day in her head. It was very intense and tiring, but Vicky did her best not to complain even when she heard their stupid remarks. She was so frustrated that she wanted to cry, but then as she heard Gally lecture them, she felt a bit happy. It was the first time he stood up for her, maybe he was starting to change his mind.

At the end of the day though, she seemed to have impressed the boys enough that some of them accepted her and she was glad she found something she was good at. She really hoped to be able to work with them and maybe ask Gally to teach her something interesting. He was so talented it was almost fascinating. She also found it cute that he was so passionate about something. He surely wasn't bad once you get to know him. And she also couldn't deny he was good-looking. _With his stormy eyes an-_ … she immediately stopped her train of thought. _WAIT. What the hell am I thinking?_ She couldn't believe herself. Maybe I'm just tired.

She shook her head and decided it was time to get some sleep. But as she closed her eyes the image of the note and the strange words popped in her mind, as it did almost every night. It was almost a week since she arrived at the Glade with it and she hoped it could be of any help, but it seemed nothing happened since then. As far as she knew. She sighed at the realization.

"Can't sleep?" Newt asked quietly.

"Yeah" she replied, opening her eyes and looking at the ceiling.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

She considered it for a moment and then said, "Have you found any clue about the things written in that note?"

"Not yet, but I think Minho and the other Runners are working on it."

She couldn't stop thinking about it. What did it mean? What was the code for? And why wasn't it complete? That's what she wanted to ask but knew he didn't have the answers so instead, she murmured a simple "Mmm."

"Dontcha worry about it, we'll find out eventually," he said softly.

"Yeah.. thanks. Good night Newt."

"'Night love."


	7. Closer to the Edge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> I'm sorry I was late with the chapter, but I had a busy week, plus it was my birthday and I didn't have much time to write. Also, let me know if you like the story so far so that I know if I should continue like this or if I need to make some changes.
> 
> But, enough small talk. Enjoy! (:

VICKY

_Vicky opened her eyes, but her vision was blurred. She tried to rub them, but she noticed she couldn't move. Her arms and legs were tied to a bed. When she got more used to the light all she could see was white._

_Where am I?_

_In the background, she could hear a voice whispering, but she couldn't see to whom it belonged. She tried to open her mouth to say something, but nothing came out._

_What's happening?_

_Suddenly, a blurry figure approached the bed, holding something that from her hazy vision seemed like a syringe and was ready to inject her with it. She tried to move again, to struggle, to scream. She didn't want that. What was that? But again, nothing. Her limbs and every single muscle in her body wouldn't respond to her command. And the figure did it. She immediately felt her body losing all the remaining strength and a cold sensation invaded her. She laid there powerless, feeling her consciousness slipping away as time passed until darkness came, and she was nothing._

She woke up covered in sweat at the sensation of someone shaking her by her shoulders and calling her name.

"Vicky! Wake up! Vicky! It's just a dream, come on love!"

Newt was standing in front of her, his eyes widened and filled with worry. _What happened? Where am I?_ But then she realized she was in Newt's room.

"It's ok, you just had a nightmare. You're safe now."

She looked at him with a mixture of confusion and terror, panting. Tears rolling down her cheeks, her body shaking. She couldn't remember much, but the feeling of helplessness and anxiety didn't leave her. It felt so real that she wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not. Suddenly a pair of arms embraced her and stroked her back with gentle movements, and she was so confused that she just let Newt hug her. Somehow, she trusted him.

They remained like that for a while, until she finally pulled herself together and pulled out from his embrace. His hands still on hers though.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

"Don't." He paused a moment and then asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She fell silent again and he waited patiently. She didn't know if it was alright to talk about it and she didn't remember much anyway. She didn't want him to worry needlessly, it was only a dream after all.

"I don't remember much," she whispered. "It's all confused, but it's probably nothing." She couldn't make sense of anything.

"Didn't seem like it" he said. She sighed.

"I'm fine. Just a bad dream."

He was still holding her hands and since she was wearing a shirt, he must have noticed the now pale violet marks on her wrists, because he asked concerned, "What happened?" A scowl was forming on his face.

She bit her tongue. _Shit, I forgot about that!_ "I don't know. I already had them when I came here."

Newt seemed in deep thought and stood silent for a long minute.

"Do you think I shouldn't be here?" she asked suddenly.

She couldn't suppress the idea that she wasn't supposed to be sent in the Glade and that maybe she was endangering all of them, although nothing strange happened so far.

"I don't know what happened, but you're one of us now and we'll make sure to keep you safe. Good that?" He then smiled at her trying to cheer her up.

She smiled back, this time it was a sad one, and turned to stare into the distance.

After a while, she started to hum a melody, the same one that used to annoy Zart when she worked in the gardens. It seemed to calm her down for reasons she couldn't understand.* Newt stood there, listening without making a single sound until she stopped.

"Newt?" she asked softly, still looking away.

"Yeah?"

"Please, don't tell anyone about this," she said, trying not to sound too desperate.

"I won't. Now, why don't you try to sleep some more?"

"I don't think I can. You should go to bed though." She didn't want to trouble him more than she already had.

"I'll be right here. If you have another nightmare, I'll wake you up. Just try, please." He was now begging her.

She sighed but gave up. "Alright."

She felt Newt's eyes on her while she tried to go get some sleep. Probably he was concerned after seeing her like that, so she tried to steady her breaths, hoping he would feel reassured, and waited. He finally relaxed and fall asleep sitting next to her.

In the end, Vicky didn't get any sleep at all, so at first light, she decided to go out to get some fresh air and hopefully clear her mind. She stood up, as slowly as she could, paying attention not to wake Newt up. She carefully laid him down on the hammock and exited the door tiptoeing.

The air was still cold outside. She breathed in deeply, noticing that no one was around and began to take a walk around the place. She started slowly, feeling the breeze on her skin, then fast-paced until she found herself running with all her might. At that moment she didn't care about anything else, she was just focused on her soring limbs and her heavy breathing, but she was at peace. It didn't matter that she was trapped inside a Maze, or that she didn't remember a thing, or that she was possibly in danger. No, none of that mattered. The only thought was to keep going. Despite the sore of her lungs she didn't stop and went on for about half an hour until her body couldn't take it anymore and she had to slide down a tree to catch her breath. She leaned her head on the trunk, her gaze staring up at the tree's branches, squeezing her eyes from the fatigue and trying to take deep breaths. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a silver shining dot on a branch, but before she could understand what it was, it ran away hiding through the leaves.

_What was that?_

The sun was starting to get higher now and she decided it was time to go back before they all woke up. Taking advantage of the early hours, she then took a quick shower before heading to the kitchen.

"'Morning Fry!"

"Morning Vicky!" he exclaimed smiling. "Up already?"

"Yeah, didn't sleep well" she simply said, and he didn't ask more. Probably he saw her tired face and the begs under her eyes.

"Here, this should help." He handed her a cup full of a dark brown, almost black, liquid which gave off a pleasant roasted fragrance.

"Is this what I think it is?" She didn't think they had coffee.

"You bet girl. Sometimes they send it with the box, but it's not much, so no one knows about it. Apart from the Keepers of course. So, keep it a secret, good that?" And he winked.

"Good that," she said firmly. Little by little, she was starting to catch up with their slang. "Thanks Fry! What would I do without you?" Now she was smiling. Even though she was here less than a week, she already loved him. Like Newt, he always knew how to make her feel better and he was one of the few who didn't call her by nicknames.

"You'll die," he said winking and they laughed.

* * *

The Gathering to decide where she would work took place immediately after breakfast and it was decided she would go with the builders. To Vicky's surprise, Newt said that also Zart asked for her, but Gally thought she would be more useful with them after seeing her skills, so in the end, everyone agreed.

"Ya know, he really stood up for ya" Newt whispered into her ear, elbowing her on the side.

A wide smile formed on her face at the thought of the cocky boy acknowledging her in front of everyone. Not to mention she was happy she would finally be able to do something useful.

"What are you grinning for greenie?" asked Gally as he approached Newt and Vicky.

"Nothing," she said suppressing a giggle.

He rose an eyebrow and looked at her. "You better be ready 'cause we have a lot to do this week," he said and started to walk away.

"Whatever you say, _Captain_!" She replied, waving to Newt and following him.

To Frypan's request, the plan for the next few days was to substitute one of the walls of the kitchen. Yes, the one Vicky damaged almost setting the kitchen of fire during the trial. It wasn't that bad, but Frypan, and also Alby, agreed that it would be better to have a new one. Since the kitchen was inside the Homestead, they wanted to avoid any possible future collapse.

That day she was supposed to work with Gally and a few other Builders, while the others were to finish the to assemble the new shower-box and connect it to the water pump. They started examining the extent of damage and after deciding how they were supposed to change the ruined wooden boards without risking the building to collapse, they began to tear them apart. After a long hour of pulling, cracking and going back and forth to toss the broken pieces away, she regretted her morning run. She slept maybe three or four hours that night and she started to feel dizzy, so when lunch was ready, she was grateful she could rest for a while. The meal was only a plain sandwich since Fraypan couldn't use the kitchen that morning, but it was enough to make her feel better and continue with her work.

At one point, as she and Adam were chopping some trunks, Gally called her from his station.

"Oi greenie! Go get me the saw!" he ordered.

Vicky sighed but didn't complain. She didn't like to be treated like a slave just because she was the new one, but she figured it was like a sort of initiation everyone had to go through.

"Be right back," she said to Adam who was looking at her apologetically. Then she put down her axe and went to the storeroom.

While she was walking, she caught again a glimpse of something metallic shining in the grass. This time, however, it didn't escape immediately, and she was finally able to see what it was. A small creature, similar to a bug, with a silver, cylindrical body and bright, blinding red eyes. _What the hell is this?_ It was looking at her, or more like observing her, and after a long moment it started to crawl away. The curiosity took the best of her and she started to follow it without realizing the metallic bug was heading towards the West door. She was so into finding out what it was and why it was observing her that she forgot what she had to do. It also seemed like the bug wanted her to follow it. Sometimes it even stopped to check if Vicky was still behind, which stirred her curiosity even more. _Is it waiting for me?_ She didn't know if it was alright or not, but at that moment she didn't care. She only wanted some answers and maybe this could be a way to get them.

Unexpectedly, the bug went through the wall's doors into the Maze and stopped only a few meters from the entrance. When Vicky noticed where she was, her body froze in place, her eyes fixed on the dark unending corridor that spread in front of her. She didn't realize how close she came to the doors and she didn't like it. Her breath began to accelerate, and she started to shake, this time not only her hands. All of a sudden, a splitting headache hit her, making her groan in pain, and her legs started to move on their own towards the entrance.

 _What's happening? No! I don't want to go in there. Stop!_ , she cried in her head. She wanted to scream, she wanted to go back, to run away from it, but her body wouldn't listen. It was as if someone was controlling her. _Someone, please! Help me!_ She tried to fight it unsuccessfully, only managing to slow herself down a bit. Her body continued to move, and she was now only a few feet from the stone pavement of the Maze. She was so afraid that she was hyperventilating, but she couldn't stop. _Is this the end?_

The moment she thought she was done for, a strong hand grabbed her right arm and turned her around violently, finally breaking the spell.

"What the shuck do you think you're doing greenie?!"

Minho was standing in front of her and he seemed very angry. She looked at him both with confusion and relief, and when he noticed her gaze, his features relaxed a little.

"I…" she tried to explain, but she wasn't sure what really happened. It was like she just woke up from a dream.

"What were you thinking? Do you have a death wish? I thought you were told not to go out there" continued Minho, still holding her arm. Maybe he feared that if he let her go, she would try it again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, avoiding his gaze and that's all she managed to say.

Suddenly, the door behind them began to close, the loud noise startling Vicky and making her tremble again. _Oh, come on! It's just the door closing._ She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, while Minho started to worry.

"Hey, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You don't seem like you're fine."

Actually, she wasn't, but she didn't need another concerned Glader looking after her.

"I just need to rest. Didn't sleep much last night," she said sternly, hoping to quit the conversation. He didn't seem to have bought it, but if he wanted to know more, he didn't show it.

"What were you doing here?" he asked then, crossing his arms on his chest. "I could hear Gally yelling your name even from the Map Room. Probably looking for you."

 _Shit._ She forgot he asked her to bring him the time she thought it was best to tell Minho the truth. "I was following something and didn't realize I came this close to the walls."

"What do you mean by _something_?"

"A small metallic bug. I think I saw it this morning too."

"You mean a Beetle Blade!"

"A Beetle-what?"

"Beetle Blade. It's how the Creators keep an eye on us," he explained. "Why were even following it?"

"I don't know, it seemed suspicious and it seemed like it was waiting for me to follow it."

"So you thought it was a good idea to follow him inside the Maze?" he asked sarcastically.

 _Of course not!_ she thought. She wasn't that stupid, but she didn't want to tell him that for a moment she wasn't in control of her body. They surely would have put her in the Slammer, thinking she was dangerous. And maybe she was, but the idea of being put behind bars didn't lure her. It was already enough to be caged inside this Maze.

"I wanted answers. I didn't notice I was so close to the walls and _surely_ I didn't think it would go _inside_ ," she explained. Which was actually true by the way. She only omitted a small part.

The look Minho gave her, though, told Vicky that he didn't believe her one bit, but again, he didn't press it any further.

"If you say so… but don't do it again, good that? Or I'll need to tell Alby." She nodded slightly.

"Thanks for stopping me."

"It's alright princess, but you need to back now, or it'll be Gally who'll throw you in the Maze this time." He smirked and jogged towards the Map Room. "Later!"

.

* * *

.

GALLY

"Hey! Did you see the greenie?" he asked one of the Builders annoyed.

"Nope, sorry."

 _Where the hell did that girl go?_ Gally was starting to get impatient and yelled her name many times, waiting for her to show herself. It was almost twenty minutes since he sent Vicky to get the saw he needed, and she still wasn't back. He couldn't finish his work without it. _Why the shuck is she taking so long? I should have sent Adam instead,_ he thought shaking his head. He was almost ready to go and look for her when he spotted Vicky coming back. When she saw him and his pissed-off glare, she gulped.

"About time! I thought I asked it at least twenty minutes ago. Was it too difficult for ya?" he yelled.

"I needed to go to the toilet," she said sternly, handing him the saw, and without another word, she walked past him went back to work.

Gally frowned, annoyed by her rough attitude, considering she was the one who asked him to start anew, but this time he decided to let it go. Maybe it was best not to push her patience so much. However, he kept an eye on her until they finished, and he noticed she seemed slightly off compared to that morning. Not that he cared by the way.

During dinner, Gally was sitting with the builders and every now and then he cast a glance in her direction. She looked better now, talking and laughing with Newt and Minho. Even though he would never admit it, he felt a hit of disappointment that Vicky didn't ask him to eat with them, but he acted like he didn't care. _Why would I even be disappointed? We're not that close._

After a while, when he was almost alone at the table, Minho approached him and sat in front of him. Gally gave him a death stare. He wasn't in the mood for one of his stories.

"Hey, I didn't say anything yet!" joked Minho.

"I don't need to hear it to know that I won't like it."

"You're hurting me," said Minho, putting a hand on his heart mockingly.

"What do you want?" asked Gally annoyed.

Minho looked around the kitchen and then moved closer to Gally. "Did something happen to the greenie?" he whispered, as if not wanting anyone to hear the conversation.

"Why? What do you mean?" asked Gally, trying to keep the tone of his voice as flat as possible. He didn't want to sound concerned.

"Well.. when I came back this afternoon, I found her standing in front of the West door. I tried to call her, but she didn't even hear me and then she suddenly started to walk towards the Maze. If I didn't stop her…" He paused, holding Gally's confused gaze. _What?_ _So that's why she was late. That slinthead._

"Why was she there?" he asked.

"Not sure. She told me she was following a Beetle Blade and didn't notice she was so close. Of course, I didn't believe it. When I reached for her, she looked like she was in a sort of trance."

 _Trance? What the shuck is he talking about? And why would she follow a Beetle Blade?_ Gally didn't say anything but raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Yeah, it was like her mind was somewhere else. Do you think maybe the Creators are behind it? If what's written in the note it's true, then it wouldn't be that strange." He didn't even think about it, but if what Minho said was true, they could also be in danger. _She_ would be in danger.

"Why are you telling _me_ that?" Gally asked him.

"I thought maybe you knew something. Plus, you're her Keeper. You should keep a better eye on her."

"I'm not her babysitter," he grumbled. "Why don't you do it if you're so concerned?"

"If I could, I wouldn't have asked you, don't you think? And I don't want to tell Alby yet. Maybe it's nothing, but I want to make sure first," explained Minho.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, he definitely had a point. Knowing Alby, it was best to check first if it was something serious or not, otherwise, she could end up in the Slammer without a good reason. Not that he would have blamed Alby, he was only trying to keep the peace in the Glade, but he also didn't like the idea of Vicky being imprisoned.

Before he could say anything else, Newt's voice called Minho from the other side of the kitchen, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Minho! Ain't ya coming?"

"Coming!" he yelled back and then turned again to Gally. "Need to go. I'm counting on you, good that?" he said, putting a hand on his shoulder, and without waiting for his response, he was already gone.

He didn't like it one bit. Since she arrived, they were relying on him too much to his liking. Why him? Why not Newt? He would surely be a better choice _. Also, she seemed to like him a lot, seeing how she was always smiling at him and how she let him sleep with her in his room_ , he thought with spite. Oh yeah, he definitely noticed it. _Wait, why am I bothered by it? I don't care._ Of course, he didn't. He was just concerned that other Gladers could notice and would want to do that too, causing problems. _Yes, that's it._ And with that, he stood up and walked out of the kitchen.


	8. The Calm Before the Storm

VICKY

After the incident with the Beetle Blade, nothing else strange happened. Vicky had spent many days with the fear that something similar would occur again until she stopped thinking about it. Since then, a few weeks passed and her daily life was pretty much always the same, but she gradually became more accustomed to the Glade. She felt less lonely now that she knew the guys better. Newt was a good friend and her bond with the builders, especially with Gally, grew stronger too. He stopped being suspicious about her and sometimes he was even friendly, which was pretty unusual. However, he didn't stop to call her 'greenie' and neither Vicky backed down with his nickname. She usually used it when he made her angry or when she wanted to mock him. She knew how he wanted to maintain the tough-guy vibe in front of the Gladers. At the beginning he seemed extremely frustrated – she could notice by his deep frowns and grunts – but as the days passed, he just chose to ignore it, to everyone surprise. Except for hers.

Surely, he was easily angered, and his fists flew faster than his words, but Vicky started to think that it was just a façade. The more she knew him, the more she was sure about that. She noticed he really cared for his fellas, they were like a family and now she was a part of it too. He just wanted to protect them and didn't want anyone to see his weaknesses. In a way, he was just like her, and for some reason, she found it very sweet.

He even built her a new place to stay, so she could have a bit more privacy. During the second week Vicky had noticed him disappearing somewhere after dinner, but every time she questioned him, Gally brushed her off and he either chose to go to sleep or he just waited for everyone to go to bed and continue undisturbed. Apparently, neither Newt nor Alby knew anything about it. One day, though, after they finished to repair the sheep's pen, Gally asked her to follow him.

"Where are we going?" He didn't reply and continued to walk in the direction of a bunch of trees near the Homestead. When they reached a pile of branches and leaves, he stopped and started to remove them, revealing a small wooden hut.

"You did this?" she asked him with excitement as Gally showed it to her. She knew he was good at his job, but this was really something.

"Yeah, it's not much, but at least you'll have your own space," he said scratching the back of his head.

"Is it for me?" Vicky couldn't believe it and she looked at him bewildered. Why would he go to such extent for her?

"Well… yeah. I mean… if you don't like it that's ok, I-"

"No, it's perfect" she cut him off with a glint in her eyes. She almost cried. "Thanks Gally! I love it!"

"Good," he said dryly not looking at her. She was sure she heard a hit of embarrassment behind it and she couldn't help a small smile. It was the first time she saw him like this, dropping the badass vibe, and it was in front of her.

"But, why? Not that I don't appreciate it, but I thought you didn't like to give people special treatment." He was silent for a while and she noticed his reluctance, but she waited for him to speak. She didn't want to press him.

"It's kind of an apology" he explained in a rush.

 _Apology?_ "What do you mean?" She was even more confused than before. Gally was apologizing? Why did he need to? It's not that he did something bad. He was rude, yes, and didn't miss a chance to tease her, but she didn't really mind. He was like that with everybody and she has already got used to it.

He sighed. "I didn't completely trust you at the beginning and I may have thought you were a burden, but you proved me wrong, so I guess this is it."

She was so glad to hear it that she couldn't refrain from hugging him. At first, his body tensed, and she thought she screwed it up. She knew he wasn't someone to show affection to others and she was just about to part when she sensed his body relaxing. He didn't hug her back, but he didn't push her away either. It only lasted a few seconds before he pulled away, but she felt his warmness wrap her up. She had to hide her grinning face for him not to see how happy she was.

"You know you could have just told me, right?" she teased him.

"Don't push it greenie, or I'll make you sleep on the ground," he said crossing his arms on his chest, frowning.

She gave him a warm smile. "Thank you Gally, I mean it." He was now looking at her and she noticed he also wore a faint smile on his face.

The only thing that continued to bother Vicky though, were her recurrent nightmares. Since the first time it happened, they didn't stop, and they became more and more frightening. She didn't remember the content, but just the feeling they left her with was enough. On top of that, she even woke Newt up, who spent almost every night trying to reassure her and he was starting to really worry. Even though Newt didn't complain, she knew he needed to rest. She had tried many times to convince him to let her sleep outside, but he always refused.

"No way. I already told ya it ain't a problem. Plus, ya would bloody scare everyone," he said grinning after she tried to change his mind for the fourth time in a day.

So, when Gally told her about the hut, she was really glad and Newt had to give up, at least reassured that no one would bother her.

However, to ease some of the anxiety caused by the nightmares, she decided to make her morning run a routine, always careful not to be seen by anyone and not to go to close to the walls. One day though, during her third week, while she was running through the Deadheads, she tripped on an exposed root and fell abruptly face-down on the ground. _Shuck! That hurt!_ How could she not notice it? She quickly rolled on her back and wiped her clothes from the dirt, but as she tried to get up, she felt a slight pang on her left ankle. _Oh Great! Just what I need_ , she thought moping. It didn't seem sprained, but it surely hurt, and she had to lean on a tree to help herself straighten up. Then, with a sore ankle, she started to slowly walk back.

Just as she reached the edge of the Deadheads, she spotted the figure of a Glader pacing near the Map Room. It was a bit distant and the sunlight was still faint, but she was almost certain that was Artie. After her first day with the Slicers, they didn't have much of a conversation, just small talks here and there, but he was a decent guy and she didn't mind him. _What is he doing out there at this time?_ she thought curiously while approaching him. Then she remembered that he was selected to be a Runner and today should have been his first time in the Maze. After he was chased down by one of the cows, Minho realized he was very fast and since they were short of Runners, he asked Artie to become one of them. He didn't even notice Vicky until she was two meters from him.

"Hey! Why up so early? The doors won't open for an hour," she asked.

"I know…I just couldn't go back to sleep" he replied, rubbing nervously his right arm. Well, she couldn't blame him, it would have been his first time and she probably would have been the same. Anyway, he had Minho and Ben with him, so she tried to reassure him.

"For what's worth, I'm sure you'll be alright Artie," she said offering a small smile. "I saw how you trained and you're more than ready."

"I don't know, it's different outside…here I don't have to worry about losing myself and stay alert all the time." He made a short pause before adding in a whisper, "And there're the Grievers." His brows furrowed.

"Didn't they say they only come out at night? I think you're worrying too much," she tried to argue, but for some reason, she wasn't so sure that was entirely true. Her instinct told her that the Maze was much more dangerous than it seemed. Probably he must have thought the same because he didn't look convinced, so she continued, "Besides, Minho and Ben will be with you all the time. You'll be fine, I'm sure about it."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," said Artie returning her a weak smile. "Thanks."

"No biggie."

"Why were _you_ up at this hour, by the way?"

"Oh, I couldn't sleep either, so I took a walk," she said, and before he could ask anything else about it, she changed the subject. He didn't need to be distracted by her problems now. "Well, breakfast's in a while and you need to eat if you want to have enough energy to run all day. Come on!" And she slowly started to walk towards the Homestead. Her ankle wasn't hurting like before, but it was enough to make her limp a little, which Artie noticed.

"What happened?" he asked concerned, pointing at her foot.

"I tripped on a root, I don't think it's serious though."

"Here," said Artie, offering her his arm. "I'll help you."

"It's ok, I got this," she retorted, but he wouldn't budge.

"Do you prefer I bring you back bridal style?" He grinned, already knowing her answer. As much as she didn't need his help, she didn't want to put on a show.

"Alright, alright. You win."

Before joining the Runners for breakfast, and after taking a refreshing shower, Artie convinced her to go to the Med-jacks and get her ankle checked up. After seeing her barefoot swollen, she thought maybe it wasn't a bad idea. When she arrived, no one was there, so she decided to fend for herself. She already knew where everything was, and she wanted to see Artie and the others off before they left for the day. However, while Vicky was reaching for the bandages, Jeff entered the room, surprised to see her there. Despite her complaints, he wanted to check her for himself and after concluding – as she suspected – that it wasn't sprained, he applied a slimy lotion and put on the bandages, at least to prevent to make it worse. He also said she should be fine in a couple of days.

The medication took longer than she expected and when they finished, she went to the kitchen as fast as her ankle let her, hoping to find the Runners still there. But she was too late, and a few seconds after she heard the wall doors creaking.

* * *

GALLY

Gally had another restless night. He never really slept much since he was stung – barely four or five hours – but some nights his nightmares were worse than others. He never remembered the content, only small bits that didn't make sense, but the feeling of anxiety, helplessness and fear always accompanied him after he woke up. That night was one of those. He woke up at least three times, sweating, until he couldn't do it anymore and rather than experience it another time he decided to get up. It was already morning anyway and judging by the week light, probably only a matter of time until the doors opened.

He lazily walked towards the kitchen, hoping not to find many Gladers and quietly have breakfast. Not that he was hungry, he never really was after a bad nightmare, but he needed to eat something to be able to work properly. Of course, he knew his plan would be ruined, when he noticed Vicky on the doorframe of the kitchen. Since he started to tolerate her, she took the habit of joining him at almost every meal, and naturally, Newt and Minho couldn't be without. He didn't dislike her company, but they were a whole other thing. _What is she doing?_ She rarely was up this early.

"What are you doing greenie?" he asked as he approached her. She didn't see him, and when he spoke, she jumped in surprise.

"Shuck!" she yelped with a hand on her heart. "Do you all enjoy sneaking up behind people?!" He couldn't suppress a grin at her reaction. Now he understood why Minho did that all the time.

"Not my fault you're daydreaming," he said, staring at her with crossed arms and waiting for her to move. Maybe she was still half asleep, because she didn't get the message, so he cleared his throat.

"What?" she asked annoyed, after a long second of silence. _Is she for real?_

"Do I need to show you an invitation or are you going to let me in?"

At the realization, her face turned slightly red in embarrassment, but she immediately composed herself and replied with a smirk.

"Maybe if you beg me, I'll consider it."

After almost a month spent with her, he was no longer surprised by her boldness. On the contrary, she was the only one with whom he dared to make some jokes. On one hand, it was because he wanted to maintain his authority. On the other hand, however, he felt that with her things were different, and even if he didn't want to admit it, he liked that Vicky wasn't too much bothered by his grumpiness. In reality, and for some unknown reason, her presence was able to ease a little his anxieties and made bearable his days in the Glade.

"Oh, really?" he asked with sarcasm, as he closed the distance between them. Gally was now towering her, but she showed no sign of giving in, still smirking and waiting for his next move. Suddenly, with a quick movement, he grabbed her waist, picked her up, and with her small figure under his arm, he opened the door and entered the kitchen.

"Hey! Put me down!" she shouted as she was trying to wriggle out of his hold, but he was too strong for her.

" _Maybe if you beg me, I'll consider it_ ," he mocked her, grinning. She won't have it her way this time.

"You shank! I said put me down!" she yelled again, attracting the attention of the few Gladers having breakfast at that hour. They were all staring at them, and before he could say something, he heard Vicky bark, "What are you looking at?". They immediately went back to eat in silence. Meanwhile, she continued to kick midair, trying to escape him. He finally decided to stop with the joke, but instead of putting her down gently, he loosened his grip and she fell on the floor.

"Ouch!" she said rubbing her side. "Was that necessary?"

He looked at her to see if maybe he wasn't too abrupt, and that's when he noticed some bandages under the left pant leg, which was slightly pulled up. _When did she got that?_

"What's that?" he asked, raising his brow and gesturing towards it with his head.

"I just twisted it. Nothing serious," she replied while getting up. A muffled groan escaped her lips, betraying her words. He now felt a bit guilty for treating her like a potato sack, so he forced her to go and sit while he went to get his and her breakfast down, not without complaints that she could do it by herself. It didn't take long since it was still early and with the trays in his hands, he reached her at the table. Of course, she had to sit with Newt. He usually wasn't a morning person, but he always woke up early every time they had a new Runner go into the Maze. _What a lucky day_ , he thought annoyed.

"Here," he said, pushing one of the trays in front of Vicky and sitting down on the other side of the table.

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "But you didn't have to."

"Ya shouldn't decline his rare moments of kindness," intervened Newt, sniggering. Gally frowned at his remark.

"Shut up," he grumbled, and luckily for him, Newt went back to his conversation with Vicky. Thank God Minho wasn't there, or they wouldn't let it slide. They made some small talk, mostly Newt bragging about some new plants he and Zart planted, but Gally was eating in silence without really listening to their conversation. Sometimes they tried to include him, but he just gave them short and absentminded answers until they finally gave up. He wasn't in the mood for that, not after his sleepless night. He was brought back to reality only when they started to talk about Artie.

"I hope they'll be alright," said Vicky sighing. "When I met him before, he seemed pretty nervous."

"Ya don't have to worry love. I'm sure they'll come back without any problem."

"Yeah, that's what I told him. Hope I'm not mistaken."

Gally didn't say anything about it but was tired to listen to them, so he quickly finished his breakfast and got up.

"Come on greenie, hurry up and finish your meal. We've got work to do."

"Yessir!" she replied with a giggle. Since she found out about the 'Captain' thing, she never missed a chance to joke about it.

"Wait," intervened Newt. "Are ya really going to make her work with that ankle? Why don't ya let her rest for today?" _Oh, come on! It's not even serious,_ he thought annoyed. Plus, she was stronger than Newt thought, she could handle herself. Just as he was about to tell him off, Vicky rolled her eyes and snapped.

"Oh, please. I'm not an invalid, I can still do many things, right Gally?"

"You heard her," he said almost proudly, concealing a smirk.

"You could work with us," he offered again. "At least it would be less tiring then helping the Builders."

"Not that I don't appreciate it Newt, but I would die of boredom as a Track-hoe. No offence."

"That hurt," he said, feigning to be sad. "Alright, alright. Seems like I can't compete with the mighty Builders. But don't overdo it, good that?"

"Don't worry, I can handle myself," she said smiling. "Later!" Then she got up too and limped out of the kitchen, with Gally right behind her.

\- Later that afternoon -

Since Vicky couldn't walk a lot, lift or move any heavyweights, Gally put her in charge of sanding the boards they needed to build the new storeroom for the Track-hoes. They used to share it with the Builders, but there was no room for anything else anymore and it was such a mess, they often had problems to find their tools.

When he finished giving orders to his Builders, he went to Vicky station to check on her work. He knew she was good, but as their Keeper, he always had to see for himself. Just to make sure.

"Hey, Captain. I'm almost finished, just a few more," she said as she saw him.

"Good. I'll give you a hand, we'll finish faster."

"Did you already finish to bark orders?" she joked.

"Watch your mouth greenie or I'll-"

He couldn't even finish the sentence when they heard someone yelling from afar. It came from one of the doors.

"HELP!" The voice screamed again. "Call the Med-Jacks!" It seemed like Minho's. They looked at each other quizzically. _What the shuck is going on?_

"What's happening?" asked Vicky alarmed.

He had no idea, but he could easily guess, and he didn't like it. Something must have happened in the Maze. He needed to help them.

"Wait here," he said sternly to Vicky.

"But-"

"No buts. This is an order." If what he was thinking was true, he didn't want her to see it. Then he dropped off his tools and started to run in Minho's voice direction.

When he arrived, his suspicions were confirmed. Artie was being carried unconscious by Minho and Ben, both holding him from one of his arms. Alby and Newt arrived soon after, followed by Clint and Jeff.

"What happened?" asked Alby frowning.

"He was stung!"

"What? During the day?" asked Newt in disbelief, giving voice to Gally's thoughts.

"Give him the serum! Hurry up!" ordered Alby to the Med-jacks.

Suddenly, a frightened voice broke through the confusion, reaching Gally's ears.

"Artie?!"

 _Shuck._ It was Vicky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think about it so far? Is it going to slow? Do you prefer I speed up or should I continue like this? I know I said it was a slow burn, but I'm afraid I could end up boring you.  
> Anyway, let me know! Thanks for reading (:


	9. Painful Screams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi shanks! (: I'm finally back.
> 
> I'm really sorry that I didn't update for so long, but I didn't give up. From now on I don't think I'll be able to publish every week since I have to start to write my master thesis, but I'll do my best to continue this story when I can.
> 
> As always I want to thank all the people that are reading my story.
> 
> But I think I said enough for now. Enjoy (:

Previously:

"Artie?!"

 _Shuck._ It was Vicky.

* * *

GALLY

"I thought I told ya not to move," he said with an angry tone, but she wasn't listening and tried to walk past the other Gladers to see the unconscious Runner being laid on the grass and ready to be injected with the serum.

"What's happening to him?" asked Vicky alarmed. She probably didn't hear Minho when they arrived, and her eyes darted nervously from Artie to all of them waiting for an explanation. Meanwhile, other Gladers had left their work and had gathered curiously around them to know what was going on.

Suddenly, Artie started to wiggle uncontrollably, and he and Minho had to pin him down to prevent him from hurting himself or the others. Clint quickly injected him the blue liquid and soon after a few pained cries escaped his lips, which rapidly evolved in hideous screams.

"Listen, love, he…he's-" began Newt, but was interrupted by another cry.

Gally's face darkened, while his eyes betrayed pain and concern, remembering what he went through when he was stung. And from the look on the other's faces, apparently, that's what they thought too. Everyone except for Vicky. Her face was a mixture of confusion, fear and concern. Of course it would be. It was her first time seeing someone going through the Change and this was exactly why he didn't want her to see this. He didn't remember much, but from what the others told him, it wasn't exactly a beautiful sight.

Another wiggle from Artie took him back to reality and he had to use all the force he had to keep him down.

"Bring him to the Med-room and keep an eye on him," ordered Alby. Then, turning towards Minho and Ben he added, "I need to know what happened out there, come to the Map room when ya're done." They nodded shortly, pulling Artie up and blocking his movements as much as possible. Gally and Minho were grabbing him by the arms, while Ben was holding his legs.

They only manage to take a few meters, when the Runner managed to free one of his legs and kick Ben in the face, causing him a nosebleed.

"Shuck!" he exclaimed, letting go of his legs to try and stop the blood, while, Artie was still kicking the crap out of thin air.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere," said Minho strengthening his hold, but the boy didn't stop and before anything else could happen, Gally punched him in the face and knock him unconscious again.

"Sorry shank," he whispered apologetically. He didn't like that, but he had no other options. _This should do for a while_ , he thought.

"We should have done it sooner," said Minho panting from the fatigue, but some of the Gladers didn't seem to agree and were now whispering among themselves, looking warily in Gally's direction. They were probably just scared, so he didn't mind them too much, but then the image of the frightened Greenie popped up in his mind. When he looked for her again through the crowd of boys, her eyes were wide open, and she was slightly shaking. He never saw her like this and was starting to worry.

"Oi greenie, are you alright?" he asked, as he slowly approached her. But she didn't reply, her glare fixed like she was staring into nothing. He moved even closer, but before he could shake her, Vicky took a step back.

"Greenie?" said Newt concerned. She still didn't speak.

At that moment Gally's heart skipped a beat. Was she afraid of him? Because of what he did to Artie? Maybe her instinct told her not to trust him after all. Unfortunately, his train of thoughts was interrupted by a screaming Alby.

"Go, now!" he said again. "And ya all, go back to your work!" he ordered sternly to the now stunned boys all around. Some of them never saw someone being stung. Alby knew that so with a comforting tone he added: "He'll be alright."

 _As alright as someone can be after the Change_ , thought Gally sarcastically. Then he put the unconscious Glader on his shoulders – it was surely faster that way – but before leaving he turned towards Adam frowning and murmured, "See if she's alright." He would have wanted to check for himself, though she probably wouldn't want to talk to him now.

"Don't worry," said Adam.

Reassured, he started to walk towards the Homestead followed by Clint and Jeff, while Minho and Ben, since they weren't needed anymore, headed to the Map Room with Alby.

When they reached the Med-Room, he put the Runner on one of the cots and the Med-jacks, after the experience with Gally, decided it was a good idea to tie him up. Even though he wasn't as strong as the Builder, going through the Change was extremely painful and anything could happen.

As instructed by Alby, he remained to keep the first watch, in case Artie woke up again, while Clint checked the sting on the poor boy. He couldn't do much and soon after he left the room, probably to go and update Alby.

"Call me if he wakes up," he said to Gally. "Though I'll probably notice anyway."

Clint was right. If he started to scream again, everyone would know it. As much as he hoped this time would be different, that he didn't have to suffer like he had to, he knew that wasn't the case. That Artie would have to remember bits of their past without understanding it. That if those confused memories didn't make him go crazy, they would change him forever. He won't be the same anymore, and Gally knew it. But why was a Griever out during the day?

After half an hour the door opened again, and a dark-faced Minho entered the room.

"Alby wants to speak with you," he said coldly. "I'll watch him."

It was unusual to see the Keeper of the Runner like that, but he probably felt responsible for what had happened and nothing he could have said would have made him feel better.

Gally nodded and then left the room. Not before hearing a huge sigh coming from Minho.

* * *

Leaning on a wall, with his arms crossed on his chest and a pensive expression, Alby was waiting for him. He didn't even budge when Gally entered the room.

"How the hell happened?" asked the Builder impatiently.

"Minho said the Griever just showed up out of nowhere while they're coming back. He and Ben were only a few meters ahead when it came from behind and went straight for Artie. He didn't have time to react," explained Alby, still pensive and Gally waited patiently for him to go on. He knew there was more he wanted to say, and he indeed added, "The strange thing is that it didn't try to attack neither Minho nor Ben. It just disappeared."

Yeah, he was right. That was definitely unusual.

"What do you think?"

"Dunno. Maybe the Creators are just messing with us. First the girl and now this."

"I thought we were past that point," said Gally in a pissed tone earning a glare from the dark-skinned boy. But he didn't care, he didn't like what Alby just said. Was he still wary of Vicky? After all, she did prove herself, didn't she? Not that he trusted her completely…did he? "So? Ya called me here to ask me to keep an eye on her?"

"No, not her," said Alby sighing. "Artie."

"Why me? I'm done doing the babysitter."

"Do you even have to ask?"

Of course, he knew why he wanted him to do it, but there wasn't much he could do for Artie. He'd never even spoken about the memories he'd regained, he just learned to cope with them. And Artie should do the same.

Seeing his dark expression and that Gally wasn't saying anything, Alby spoke again.

"I'm not asking ya to speak about your shucking feelings…just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. I'll ask Newt too, but ya're the only one who knows what's like to go through the Change. Do ya remember what happened with George, don't ya?"

He sure did. How could he ever forget?

"I don't wanna repeat it," added Alby. Now his tone was different, almost sad.

Gally hesitated for a while. He didn't want to revive again those moments and just looking at Artie made him uncomfortable, but he didn't even want him to arm the other Gladers and he was the only one who could stop him if anything happened. At least when Minho wasn't there.

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"Not really."

The whole room fell silent again, though it didn't last long as Artie's screams echoed again through the Glade. It surely would be a long night.

* * *

VICKY

The moment Artie started to scream after they gave him the serum, Vicky froze in place. A sensation like the one she felt in her dreams ran through her body and she started to shake. It was as if her subconscious was telling her something, but she couldn't grasp it. As if it wasn't her first time seeing something like this, and for a brief moment an image passed through her eyes. She was in the Maze. Alone. She could hear someone's screams far away, but they suddenly stopped. _Where's everyone? What's happening?_ Scared, she took a step back and soon after she was again in the Glade. Gally in front of her with a sad look on his face. Why was he looking at her like that? She didn't have time to understand what was going on, she only heard Alby yelling orders and then most of the Gladers were gone. Only Newt and Adam remained, and they were waiting for her. Calling her name. _What the hell did happen? What was that?_

"Vicky? Vicky!"

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, sorry. I think…I spaced out," she said, finally coming back to reality.

"It's alright love, it wasn't a pretty sight."

"Is he going to be alright?"

"Dunno, we probably have to wait until he wakes up," said Adam bluntly, and Newt slapped him on the head.

"What?! She needs to know anyway."

"I'm sure he'll be fine, don't worry," tried to reassure her Newt with a small smile.

As much as she wanted to believe him, his words were a small consolation. Wasn't that what she told Artie too? Then, she suddenly remembered Gally's words when he explained to her about the Change. ' _It's really painful and if you recover, you're not the same anymore. It's not something you would like to try.'_ Yeah, Adam was right. There was no way to know if Artie'll be the same after that.

"How can I face him again?" she said, sighing deeply. "I told him he would have been alright and look what happened…"

"It's not your fault. It could have happened any time. Maybe today he would have come back without any problem and stung next week. He knew the risks when he accepted to be a Runner," said Adam.

"It's just…so frustrating."

"Just face him like ya always do love," tried to reassure her Newt, and she nodded.

"I think we should go back now, still need to clean up our mess before dinner," said Adam, while walking towards his station. She surely wasn't in the mood to finish her work, but they couldn't stop just because of that, so Vicky reluctantly followed him.

"I'll see ya at dinner," said Newt with a small smile before she left.

As they passed through the Glade, she noticed she wasn't the only one who didn't feel like continuing her work. Most of the boys were sulking and not really doing anything, Builders included. When they reached them, some of them looked at her warily, but she didn't pay them any mind. It was a hard day for everyone. As Gally's right arm, Adam tried unsuccessfully to make them do something, so after a while, he just gave up. Without Gally, it wasn't the same. Yeah, Gally. The image of his sad face crossed again her mind and she wondered why he made that expression. Did something happen while she wasn't herself? And speaking of which, what was that? A memory? Was it real or was it from one of her dreams? So many questions were flooding in her mind that she felt her head was going to explode, breaking the quiet of the Glade.

And the quiet was interrupted, but not by her thoughts. They were loud screams of pain coming from the Homestead. She flinched from the surprise. When Gally told her it was extremely painful, she didn't think she would hear him like that. She hoped it would stop soon, but she had the feeling that wasn't the case and she pitied the poor boy who was suffering so much without anyone being able to do something.

While putting her working tools in order, with the corner of her eye she spotted a broad figure coming out from the Homestead and when she looked better, she noticed it was Gally. At first, she thought he would come and bark orders as he usually did, instead, he went straight in the direction of his hammock. She couldn't see his face, but from his pace, she could say he was bothered by something.

_Is he alright?_

She wanted to chase after him and ask, however, a hand landed on her shoulder as if to stop her.

"Don't," said Adam's voice. "Leave him alone for a while."

He must have noticed what she was thinking. Vicky turned towards him and without a word looked at him quizzically.

"You know…he wasn't always like this. So grumpy I mean."

At first, she didn't catch what he was implying, then the realization hit her, and she remembered another piece of conversation she had with Gally on her first day talking about the Grievers.

' _Have you ever seen one?'_

' _Yeah'_

She also remembered the face he made, like he was recalling something bad, and something clicked inside her.

"You mean..?"

"Yeah.."

How could she not think about it? Yes, she suspected something, but she thought that maybe it happened to someone he knew or was close too. And that's why he always tried to keep everyone at distance. But she was wrong. She decided to listen to Adam and not bother him for a while, at least for today.

* * *

Like she suspected, Gally didn't show up at dinner and neither she saw Minho or Ben. They probably felt responsible for what happened and though she knew it wasn't anyone's fault, she was sure she would have felt the same in their position.

She didn't have much appetite either, still, she forced herself to eat something before calling it a day and going to her hut, to Newt's disappointment. She thought she would at least get some sleep, but Artie's screams weren't going to stop anytime soon, and she just laid on top of her bad looking at the ceiling. No one would probably sleep that night.

After an hour of dwelling on the events of the day and trying unsuccessfully to remember something useful, she gave up. The more she thought about it, the more she couldn't understand. Closed between the four walls of her hut, she was starting to feel suffocated, so – given that her ankle didn't hurt like before – she decided to take a walk.

Almost unconsciously she went for the Deadheads and she only noticed when she was in the proximity of the group of trees. She went further inside until the screams were less intense and she sat down, her back leaning on a tree. Then she closed her eyes and started to hum her melody. Quietly at first and then louder. She went on for a while, trying to overpower Artie's voice, and suddenly some words popped out in her head, so she sang them:

.

🎶 _I knew your name_

_I knew your face_

_Your love and grace_

_Past and present now embrace_

_Worlds collide in inner space_

_Unstoppable, the songs we play_ 🎶

.

They were just a verse and she tried to remember more, but nothing came. The moment she stopped singing she heard a creaking sound behind her. Startled, she turned towards it and saw a black shadow standing half behind a tree. Because of the faint light, she couldn't see clearly and she had to narrow her eyes.

"Gally?" she asked surprised. She didn't think to find him here.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he said apologetically. "I'll leave you alone."

He had again that sad look on his face, hidden behind a frown, and was just about to leave when Vicky called for him.

"Wait!"

She knew Adam told her to give him his space and at the beginning, she intended to, but she couldn't help it. Not after seeing that expression again.

"You can stay, if you want," she offered with a shy smile.

As he heard her words, the sadness on his face disappeared to leave space to what, in her eyes, seemed like…relief?

"You sure?"

"Of course, why do you even ask?"

She looked at him quizzically, waiting for him to say something, but he said nothing and tiredly sat down near a tree in front of her. Instead, he silently looked at her, as if he was in search for something.

"Is my face that interesting?" she asked jokingly to ease some of the tension.

"You look better than this afternoon," he said, his eyes still locked on her.

"Were you worried?"

"Huh? Well, I…no! No, I wasn't. It was just an observation," he replied clumsily, trying to sound casual. She couldn't see very well in the dark, but she could bet his face was red from the embarrassment. Even though he would never admit it.

"Liar," she said, almost giggling. He was just about to talk back, when she added in a whisper, "But yeah, I feel a bit better."

"Didn't think you would freak out like that seeing how you handled your first day. Guess I was just surprised."

Usually, at this point, she would have changed the subject – she didn't like to talk much about her feelings – but for some reason she wanted him to understand her better. So she continued.

"You know…when you told me about the Change, I didn't think it would be like that. But what scared me wasn't that," she said, before making a small pause. "Not only at least."

"Listen greenie, I had to do it, alright? Or he would have hurt someone else," blurted out Gally before she could explain herself.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"The punch I gave Artie. You even stepped back when I neared you…you were so-" explained Gally, but then stopped himself. "You don't remember?" he asked confused.

"No, I…I think I was zoning out. Wait, did you think I was scared of _you_?"

"Everyone was, alright? I wasn't particularly worried about _you_ " pouted Gally, crossing his strong arms on his chest."And I don't really care if they are, I just had to do it, so don't go and jump to conclusions Greenie."

At his words, Vicky had to refrain a giggle. He really looked like a kid trying to hide his emotions, but she knew he cared. Not just for her, for everyone. Though he would never admit it.

"I'm sure they'll understand sooner or later. You did it for them, they just don't see it," she said, offering him a small smile.

He snorted almost sarcastically at her words and then looked at her in silence for a while. She was resting her forehead on her knees and couldn't see him, but she could feel his piercing gaze.

"What about you zoning out?" asked Gally suddenly.

Surprise, she looked up and found him eagerly waiting for her to explain what happened.

"I…I saw myself in the Maze," she started. "I was alone, but I heard screams in the distance. Could have been Artie's, though they seemed a little different. I got scared, and when I made a step back to run away, I was again in the Glade." She paused again, thinking about what to say next. "I don't know what happened. I thought it was a memory from one of my nightmares, but the feeling was so real like it really happened."

"Sometimes nightmares are like that," murmured Gally, diverting his eyes and looking at a small piece of sky through the leaves. "Doesn't mean they're real. As long as you stay in the Glade, you'll be fine."

Vicky fell silent. Even if she didn't really believe it was just that, she was glad that in his own way he tried to make her feel better. She knew he was talking from experience from the tone of his voice.

While they were talking Artie's screams diminished until they finally stopped. _Maybe he finished to suffer_ , she thought and hoped it was really the case.

"Are yours that bad too?" she asked looking at Gally.

He didn't immediately reply, probably wondering if he should tell her or not. She saw his hesitation and she was almost resigned when he spoke.

"Sometimes."

"Are they memories from the Change?" she asked again unconsciously, and when his pensive look changed into a frown, she realized she shouldn't have. And to say that Adam warned her too.

"Sorry! Adam told me…I didn't mean to…"

"I think we should go back, maybe ya'll be able to get some sleep now," said Gally dryly as he stood up.

"Mmm," she murmured, disappointed to leave like that. _Great job Vicky,_ she thought frustrated, mentally slapping herself, _now you really did it._ He was starting to open up a little with her and she ruined everything. _Mental note for yourself: never ask Gally about the Change again, unless he wants to._

She reluctantly followed him in silence through the Deadheads, only the sound of the grass and leaves under their feet. She wanted to say something, to apologize again for asking, but nothing good came to her mind, so she kept quiet. And so did Gally. Only when they reached the Homestead he spoke again.

"'Night Greenie."

Then, without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heels and began to walk towards his hammock. But this time Vicky didn't let him leave like that, and before he was out of reach, she said, "Thanks for hearing me out."

Gally didn't even look back, he just raised his right hand as if to say ' _No big deal Greenie_ ', and somehow she was content with just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short note:
> 
> In case someone's interested and want to listen to it, the song I used is Star Sky - by Two Steps From Hell. This is the song that inspired the entire story and I really recommend it, because it's beautiful. Let me know what you think about it!
> 
> See you next time and stay tuned (:


	10. Reminiscences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, shanks (:  
> I'm finally back with another chapter! I'm trying my best to continue it whenever I have some time so that you won't have to wait too much. I want to thank again all the people who are still reading this.
> 
> !Service notice!: as I was reviewing the story I noticed I misspelt Vicky's name a lot in the previous chapters (I wrote it without the "c", I don't even know why), but now I corrected everything. So I'm sorry if that may have confused someone, I really feel so stupid 😅
> 
> But enough talk, I hope you'll enjoy (:

VICKY

_The moment she opened her eyes a bright light blinded her, so much she had to cover her face with her right arm. As her vision slowly adjusted to that brightness, she recognized a clear blue sky above her._

_Where am I?_

_She slightly turned her head, right and left, noticing she was on the grassy ground of the Glade._

_Why am I here? she thought confused._

_She quickly stood up – maybe too fast because her head spun a little – and looked around. Considering the height of the sun it seemed past midday, but there was no sign of Gladers anywhere. No sounds either._

_Frantically, she started to run in the direction of the Homestead, then the Gardens, the Bloodhouse and even the Deadheads, but nothing. No one was around. A feeling of anxiety crept inside of her and she started to tremble._

_Where's everyone? Am I alone? What happened?_

_Suddenly, a piercing cry broke the silence, and all happened in the blink of an eye. Everything went black and Vicky found herself falling into nothingness._

She woke up trembling and drenched in sweat again. _It's just another nightmare_ , she repeated in her head over and over to try and reassure herself. She took a few deep breaths and after she had calmed down, she closed her eyes again to try and get some more sleep. After Artie stopped screaming and crying from the pain, she managed to fall asleep somehow, but it was only a few hours.

However, luck wasn't on her side that day. For all she tried, the slumber didn't come, and she found herself staring at the ceiling of her hut. It was still early, probably half-past five or six. Annoyed, Vicky got up and decided to take a stroll outside. She still couldn't run because of the slight pang on her ankle.

Coming out from her hut, she walked down towards the Box, reaching the same place of her dream. She laid down in the same position and closed her eyes. She felt the soft grass under her skin and the cold morning breeze caressing her face. She felt so at peace that she almost fell asleep on the spot. Suddenly, though, the ground started to tremble under her body and a loud screeching sound she now knew all too well reverberated through the Glade. The Doors were opening.

When Vicky opened her eyes, however, nothing had happened. Looking around her, she saw the boys were still in their place. Some of them sound asleep in their hammocks, some other blissfully wrapped in their sleeping bags.

 _What the hell was I thinking?_ She sighs heavily _. Of course it was just a dream. There's no way they would disappear like that._ She felt so stupid to actually think they were all gone that she mentally slapped herself.

Soon after, Vicky decided to go back to the Homestead and maybe slip in the kitchen to steal something to eat while waiting for the actual breakfast.

She walked slowly, enjoying the rare moment of peace when the Glade was still asleep. Not long after, though, she spotted someone exiting from the Homestead. It was Artie.

_Is he ok? What is he doing outside?_

Vicky noticed he had both a confused and angry expression on his face. He was holding his head in his hands as if he was in pain and all of a sudden, he turned and headed towards the West Door. Alarmed, she called his name several times while accelerating her pace to reach him, but Artie either didn't seem to hear or he was ignoring her. At every step he was closer to the Door, so, enduring the sting of her ankle, Vicky sprinted towards him until she was finally able to grab his arm.

"Artie! Stop! Where are you going?!" The Runners were supposed to have the day off, so why was he heading towards the Maze? Not to mention he was clearly not ok.

He didn't reply but turned to look at her with an icy cold stare full of anger and with a sharp tug released himself from her hold.

"Wait!" she shouted again, this time embracing him from behind to prevent the Runner to make any movement. She wasn't going to give up. "You can't go into the Maze. You're going to die!"

"I'm already dead," he hissed, trying to free himself again. "Let me go."

Of course, she tightened her hold even more, but Artie didn't stop and suddenly she felt a huge pain on her nose and found herself on the ground. He had hit her with his elbow in the face and was starting to walk away again.

"No, you're not! Wait! Artie!"

Vicky was still dizzy from the impact but used all her strength to crawl and cling onto one of his legs. Bad idea. He stopped, but only to kick her in the face again.

"Get off of me!" he screamed.

The hit hurt so much that she almost lost conscience, but she didn't let him go. Now the blood was streaming down her nose and she couldn't really open her eyes due to pain. Even if she couldn't see Artie's dark face, she could feel his anger and discomfort. _What happened to him? Did the Change really make him like this?_

Before she could think anything else, Artie took her by the collar of her shirt and looked at her with bloody eyes.

"I told you to let go! Why won't you listen?"

"Y-you…you can't…g-go in the Maze," she only managed to say.

"Why not? You think you can save us?! We can't be saved; they won't let us go!" he screamed.

"You already know that, don't you? Why do you think you're here again? You can't save us," he repeated disconsolate again.

 _What?_ What did he mean with "again"? Did she come here before? Or was it just him hallucinating because of the change?

"Vicky! Vicky! Let her go!"

Between Artie's yelling, Vicky thought she heard someone shouting her name, but she was so shocked by what the boy just said that nothing else mattered at that moment.

"W-what d-do you mean?" she asked in disbelief.

Just when he was about to say something, though, a punch was thrown directly at Artie's face and he crumbled to the ground, releasing his grip on Vicky. A pair of arms got a hold of her before she fell too.

"I said let her go you shuckface."

"Are you ok?" asked worried a panting voice. It was Frypan. In front of her, there was Minho, pinning Artie down and holding his arms behind his back to prevent him from escaping. He still didn't stop screaming all sort of things.

"Sort of," she said in a hoarse voice.

"What the shuck happened here?" asked Minho, trying to conceal his concerned tone.

Vicky didn't know. She was so confused at that moment that she didn't know how to reply. She was still staring at the poor Runner wiggling under Minho's body. At her silence, the boys looked at each other quizzically.

Alarmed by all the commotion, soon also Alby, Gally and a few other Gladers reached them. All their eyes darted between Vicky and Artie trying to understand. A greyish-blue pair, though, lingered on Vicky a little longer. They were full of both anger and concern.

"Care to explain what happened?" asked Alby sternly.

Fortunately for Vicky Frypan answered for her. "When we came Artie was hitting her, so we tried to stop him," he said pointing at Minho with his head.

Alby seemed to ponder his options and after a few second he said, "Put him in the Slammer. And Fry, bring her to the Medjacks. I'll talk with you later," added referring to Vicky.

With a rude movement, Gally and Minho pulled the fuming boy up and left them without another word. Vicky looking at him with sad eyes. She also noticed Gally spared her another quick glance before turning around. Was he worried?

After what happened she walked towards the Medroom refusing, maybe a bit to rudely, Frypan's help.

"I can handle myself."

He looked at her with concern but decided it was best to leave her alone.

.

As she entered the room, Clint and Jeff looked at her in disbelief and before they could ask any question, she glared at them, making it clear that she wasn't going to talk about it. Silently Jeff medicated her, making her twitch every time he touched one of the small cuts on her face.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry."

"You know," he said to ease the tension while putting an ointment on the cuts, "if you wanted to see me that badly you could have just knocked. No need to get like this."

Despite her sour mood, Vicky couldn't help but bitterly smirk at Jeff's remark.

"I'll keep that in mind for next time."

"Hope so. But seriously…what happened?" he reluctantly tried to ask.

At that moment Alby, Newt and Gally entered the room. All with concern, confusion and anger written all over their faces.

"Yeah, we'd like to know too," said Alby.

Vicky averted her eyes, feeling ashamed of what happened. Not only she didn't manage to stop Artie – if it wasn't for Minho, he would be in the Maze right now – but she also let him hit her like that. However, she knew they wanted an answer.

"I was trying to stop him," she replied with a sigh. "He was heading towards the Maze."

"So ya thought a good idea to go by yourself?" intervened Newt nervously. "Why didn't ya ask for help?"

The tone of his voice made Vicky frown. "Do you think I had time to think? He was going into that fucking Maze! There was no one in sight, if I had looked for someone, we would have lost him." she said angrily. Did he ever think about that?

"We could've sent Minho to look for him! What if Artie brought you with him?"

"Newt, give it rest," intervened Alby. "But he's right greenie. Ya could've been in the Maze by now and we don't need more losses."

She felt like someone just slapped her in the face. "Losses," she hissed lowering her head. "Is that all we are to you? Isn't he your friend? One of us?"

"It's not like tha-" tried to explain Clint, but Alby interrupted him.

"Listen greenie, this ain't got nothing to do with no hate or like or love or friends or anything. All we care about is surviving."

In all this, Gally remained silent, but she noticed his death stare. Was he angry with her too? _Why can't they understand?_

"Would you rather I had let him go?" she asked sternly, this time addressing all of them.

None of the boys answered, avoiding her gaze. Except for Alby. He already made his point clear and was waiting for her to understand. The anger grew inside of her. How could they even think of abandoning one of them? And why didn't Gally say something? Wasn't he in the same situation once? She couldn't believe it and with a quick movement she dashed off.

"Wait! That's not what we meant," she heard Newt shout, but she didn't want to listen and left.

"Let her go, she probably needs some time alone," was the last thing she heard.

.

To help calm herself down, Vicky went to the sheep's pence. It was a thing she did sometimes when no one was watching. The soft wool under her touch worked as a stress reliever and the sheep too seemed to enjoy her patting them. She was so focused that she didn't notice when Winston approached her.

"I think they like you."

"What?"

"The sheep. I think they like your presence."

"Oh, yeah."

After an awkward long minute of silence, Winston searched for something in his pocket and throw it to her.

"Here. You need to eat something." It was an apple.

Vicky looked at him surprised. They never talked a lot and she thought he didn't like her. Especially after her trial. Maybe she was wrong. She was also surprised he didn't ask her what happened to her face, but he probably saw or heard them yelling.

"Thank you," she said with a small smile which made her wink from the pain. Winston looked at her and then landed her a small knife he had with him.

"Maybe this will help." He then turned and left for his work.

* * *

After she finished the apple, Vicky reached the Builders for another day of work. She was still annoyed – and Gally wasn't spared either for not saying something – but she wasn't going to ditch her job just for this. Some of the Gladers were yet convinced she was being given special treatment and she didn't want to give rise to their allegations. When she arrived all the eyes were on her and her swollen face as if they've never seen someone being hit before – which, by the way, she was sure wasn't the case. However, she did her best to try and ignore them and their comments, taking place at her station.

Gally told her she could take the day off, but Vicky refused. The words Artie shouted at her were still on her mind and she couldn't shake them off. What was he implying when he said "again"? Did he remember something during the Change? Was this her second time in the Glade? Then she remembered her dream. Was it a memory then? Or just a coincidence? She wanted to know it so badly that her head was about to explode, and working was her only way to try and think about something else. She decided she would talk to Artie that night after dinner. Maybe he would be able to give her the answers she needed.

The rest of the day was pretty busy, and Vicky did her best to try to avoid any unnecessary conversation. She really wasn't in the mood and even when Adam tried to make some jokes, she barely laughed.

She spent her lunch by herself, dwelling again on the events of that morning; no one dared to interrupt her. And dinner was more or less the same. She felt Newt and Gally's eyes on her, but even though the anger was gone, she still wasn't ready to talk with them. Not before she had talked to Artie.

She ate quickly, setting aside her piece of bread, and taking advantage of the confusion of the kitchen, she sneaked out and headed towards the Slammer.

Lying on the ground, face to the wall there was Artie. He didn't even turn when he heard her footsteps approaching.

"Artie?"

Neither he replied nor he moved from his spot. Was he already asleep?

"Artie?" she tried again with more conviction.

"What do you want?" he grunted, still not facing her.

Vicky sighed and sat down resting her back on the wooden bars.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit."

"Yeah…stupid question."

Seeing him like that she felt so useless. He was such a gentle and solar boy, why did it have to be him? Not the she preferred someone else, but it just felt so unfair. The only thing she could do now was to give him something to eat. Slowly, Vicky took out the piece of bread wrapped in a cloth and put it on the other side of the bars.

"It's bread," she said hearing him stir. "I know it's not much, but at lea-"

"I don't need it," he said sharply.

"You need to eat Artie…" she tried again, but he didn't move.

At this point, she didn't really know what to do. On one side she wanted to leave him alone and let all his anger subside; on the other side she needed answers and he was the only one who could give it to her.

"You know…about this morning…" she started to be interrupted yet again.

"If you expect an apology, I fear I'm going to disappoint you. You should've let me go."

"You're one of us. I won't let you kill yourself."

Only an incomprehensible mumbling came from Artie, so Vicky gave it another go.

"Do you remember what you said to me?" she asked reluctantly. He waited a few seconds and then replied.

"No."

She didn't get discouraged by his answer and continued. "About me being here _again_ …did you recall something?"

"No," he said again.

"Please…you really don't remember? It could be important."

"I said no. Now leave me alone."

She wasn't sure if he was being honest or if he just didn't wanna tell her, but as much as she asked him, Artie stopped talking.

.

Discouraged, Vicky was just about to leave when Minho appeared from the shadows with a torch.

"I knew I would find you here." He had his usual smirk on the face.

"I just wanted to check on him. I guess it wasn't appreciated."

"Did he say anything?"

"Nope, not a word."

For a brief moment, Minho went silent but quickly went back to his normal self.

"Looks like he did a good job on your face."

Vicky sighed heavily. She really wasn't in the mood for any of his jokes.

"Please, not tonight Minho," she almost pleaded.

"I know, sorry," he said going serious. "But you have to come with me. We're keeping a Gathering to decide what to do with Artie and Alby wanted you to come."

She nodded and followed him begrudgingly. She knew this time would have come.

When they reached the room, all the Keepers were already there, waiting for them.

"Now that we are all here," started Alby, "I want you to tell everyone what happened,"

Vicky took a deep breath and for the last time, she explained everything in detail. They all listened to her intently without saying a word.

"Is that all?" asked Alby when she finished.

She thought for a moment, pondering if she should tell them about Artie's words about her, but she wasn't even sure they meant something and didn't want to aggravate his position. As far as they told her, the Change could do bad things on someone's mind.

"Yes," she asserted. "Just one thing though. Please, don't punish him too hard. He just went through the Change and I'm sure he will be better; I don't care if he hit me. I know he broke the rules, but he didn't do it to hurt me."

From their faces, she could tell they were slightly taken aback by those words. Maybe they didn't expect her to be so lenient.

"Thank you," said Alby. "Now you can go. I'll tell you our decision once we're done here."

It took them at least half an hour and Vicky patiently waited outside the room, trying to uselessly eavesdrop. During that time, though, she was able to think about what happened that morning in the Medroom and realized that maybe she shouldn't have been angry with the boys. They were probably just concerned about her and didn't mean anything bad. They already went through something like that with Gally and surely knew better than her what it meant to deal with a changed person. As Alby said, they were only trying to survive. And if that meant to lose someone who wasn't himself anymore and could be a potential danger, they would have done it. No matter how much they cared for him. Thinking rationally, now she could see the bigger picture and even if she found it very unfair, sad and horrible, she couldn't really blame them.

At the realization, Vicky felt really stupid. She surely needed to apologize once they were done.

When the Keepers came out, they all wore tired expressions on their faces, and she feared the worst. Then Alby approached her.

"We've decided not to banish him yet, but he'll stay one week in the Slammer. If by that time he's better than he'll stay," he reassured.

Hearing those words, a smile appeared on her swollen face and she felt so relieved. She wasn't really sure why; she and Artie were never best friends. Could it be that, somehow, she saw Gally in him? That when she looked at the angry Runner, she saw the same anger that the Keeper of the Builders built up over the time he spent in the Glade? Maybe she thought that if she helped Artie, he wouldn't become another black sheep and she would prove Gally that he could change too.

"Thank you guys," she said, gratefully looking at all of them. "And Alby…I'm sorry for doubting your intentions."

"I know," he said in an unusually soft tone, "I'm glad ya got it now."

.

After that, everyone left to go to bed. Everyone except for Newt and Gally. They stood there leaning on the wall, waiting to be left alone with her. Looking at them she already knew why, but she was happy because she wanted to apologize too.

"Hey…hi," said Newt clearly embarrassed.

"Hey," she replied softly.

"Well I… _we_ wanted to apologize for this morning," he went on nervously rubbing his arm and averting his eyes. "We shouldn't have said those things, ya did the right thing. I'm sorry."

Gally was still silent, hands in his pocket, and when Newt saw he wasn't saying anything, he gave him a punch in his arm.

"Yeah…I'm sorry," he said more embarrassed than Newt if that was even possible.

Vicky found it hard to suppress a giggle.

"I should say sorry too. I know you were just worried and I kind of overreacted," she reassured them with a smile. "I'm glad you decided not to banish Artie in the end."

"It was Gally who convinced them. He said something about giving him another chance and that he would keep an eye on him," said Newt, smirking. He just loved to tease him.

And indeed, Gally gave him a death stare.

"Come on Newt, don't tease him like that." She was trying to be serious, but when she encountered the second-in-command's glance, they both cracked up.

"Are you done?" asked Gally at one point with crossed arms and a deep frown on his face.

"Yeah, yeah," she said through tears, "I'm sorry."

Vicky was so happy to know that she wasn't wrong about him.


	11. Heads or Tails

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! (:  
> I hope you're all enjoying your holidays despite everything that's going on. I just finished another chapter and the following is on the way, so stay tuned. I know it's going a bit slow, but I don't feel like rushing things, so I hope you don't mind too much.
> 
> As always, a big thank you to all of you who are still reading my story, for all the favourites and bookmarks! Your support is what keeps me motivated (:
> 
> Happy New Year, enjoy! (:

GALLY

After the incident, everything went back to normal. As if normal could be a suitable word to describe their situation. Artie was still confined in the Slammer and fortunately, his madness seemed to have subsided from the last time, as if someone had turned off a switch. However, a slight veil of annoyance was yet hanging over him and he stopped being the friendly boy he once was.

For Gally, it was like looking in a mirror - except for the friendly part - and he didn't like it. He knew all too well the feeling of discomfort at the realization that there was probably nothing good outside of those walls and how that discomfort quickly turned into deep anger. Based on Artie's words after the Change, he probably felt the same. But as much as they tried to ask him what he meant, Artie never talked about it again and Alby and Newt eventually gave up. Maybe they thought those words were just the result of his temporary madness and didn't read too much into it.

Of course, Gally couldn't blame Artie. He too never spoke about his regained memories. They were only a few, very confusing imagines and the rare times he tried to put them into words, it was as if something was stopping him from doing so, causing the Builder strong headaches.

Vicky, for her part, went to see the boy at least once a day. Gally didn't know why she would even bother since Artie never spoke to her, but she did it nonetheless. Unlike him, she didn't even seem bothered by the fact that he hit her pretty badly. Even if she was slowly recovering, the big blue bruise around her right eye and the small cuts were still visible. Nothing compared to when he saw her bleeding in Frypan's arms, but still. Every time he saw them, he subconsciously frowned, and his fists clenched. If he didn't know what it meant to be stung, he probably would have punched Artie for what he did. Yet, she asked them to give him another chance. _What was she thinking? Did she hope to bring him back?_ No, that wasn't possible, and he knew it. Right? Artie would become like him, someone to be scared of and that everyone would avoid. Did he pity him? Possibly that's why he decided to stand up for him, even if he would never admit it.

What he noticed, though, was that Vicky seemed very distracted. She would often daydream during her working hours as if she was completely on a different planet. He lost count of how many times she had hammered her fingers while fixing a shelf on a wall one day. At her umpteenth squealing, he shook his head annoyed, ready to scold her, but Dave was faster than him.

"You know you should actually use it for the nails and not for your fingers, don't you?" he commented in a pissed off tone.

"Oh _really? Thanks,_ Dave," replied Vicky irritated. "Wait, don't tell me. Did you figured that up all by yourself or Jim helped you?"

"At least I know how to do my shucking job."

"Yeah, keep rolling your eyes. Maybe you'll find a brain back there."

 _Here we go again_ , thought Gally sighing. It happened almost every day and he was starting to be fed up with their bickering. Normally, it was Dave who initiated it, but Vicky never let it slide. So, before it got physical – seeing how Dave was clenching his fists – Gally intervened.

"What the shuck are ya doing greenie? Can't even do a simple job?"

"Sorry Captain, I spaced out." She looked at him apologetically with a small smile.

"Then you better get back down to earth, I need it done for today," said Gally sternly. If she had continued like that, he was sure Vicky would have needed a lot more than an ointment for the pain. What was she even thinking about to distract her like that? Was it because of Artie? He really couldn't figure her out but decided to keep an eye on her, just in case. Not that he cared. It's just…they didn't need another injured Glader.

Something similar happened also the next day. As per usual, he, Adam and Vicky were having lunch all together and Newt was again bragging about how his plants had grown in the past few weeks. _Oh, for shuck's sake!_ Did he never get bored of it?

Vicky, however, wasn't listening. Well, this time Gally couldn't really blame her, but when the second-in-command noticed, he tried to get her attention.

"Greenie?"

She didn't reply, eyes fixed on her plate, so he tried again.

"Vicky?! Are ya even listenin'?"

"Probably still daydreaming," said Gally shrugging his shoulders and waving a hand in front of her. "Ooooi, is anyone there?"

"She ok?"

Suddenly, she stood up and slammed her hands on the table. A challenging look on her face. All the Gladers in the kitchen jumped in surprise.

"Shuck greenie!" he exclaimed, soon followed by Adam.

"What the hell? You trying to give us a heart attack?"

"Sorry guys, I have something to do," said Vicky without even sparing them a look. "I'll be back in time Captain!" And then she sprinted outside, leaving them with puzzled looks on their faces.

"The bloody hell was that?" asked Newt when he realized what just happened.

"You sure Artie didn't hit her too hard?" shouted Dave with a smirk.

What the hell did she need to do in such a hurry? He promised himself he would have checked on the girl once his lunch was over, but as he stepped outside the Homestead one of the builders asked for his help and soon after Vicky was back. This time with a smile on her face. Gally wondered what she could have done to be like that, but since she was back to her normal self, he didn't question her too much.

* * *

At the end of the day, they still haven't finished their work, but Gally decided to let his minions off earlier, for once. The only one who remained to help him plan the new project was Adam. Given that greenie day was around the corner and the number of the Gladers would have increased soon, they needed more tables and chairs for the kitchen. After Adam and he had designed them, Gally wrapped up the papers and headed towards the Homestead. Even if it was a small thing, they always needed Alby's approvement.

As he was about to open the door, he heard different voices coming from Alby's room. One of them was Minho's. He thought about leaving and coming back later, but then he picked up Vicky's serious voice and he couldn't help but stand where he was. However, he couldn't hear them well enough, only a few pieces.

"What … think Minho?"

"You heard …," he said after a while. "… know we are a bit ... think … a good one."

"… sure about this greenie?"

"Yes, … sure Alby."

 _Greenie? What are they talking about?_ He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the curiosity took the better of him.

"Alright then … have to vote; can't promise … be such understanding."

"Don't worry, … know … convince them," intervened Minho.

"No, _I'm_ going to tell them at the Gathering," he heard Vicky say confidently. This time quite clearly.

 _Gathering? Did something happen?_ Gally was starting to have a bad feeling about it. _What did they need to vote about? And what the shuck could that be to involve Minho and the Greenie?_ Then the realization hit him. _Wait. Could it be that she…_

"Gally? What are you doing here?"

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice they finished their meeting and were leaving the room.

Judging by her raised brow, he must have waited too long to reply, but he immediately snapped out of it. "I- I needed to show this to Alby," he said showing her the sheets. Without another word, he moved to let her and Minho out of the room and then entered.

**[the night after the attack]**

VICKY

"I know last time I complained about your makeup but isn't this too much?" said Minho sarcastically as he joined Vicky and the others at the table.

"Hey Minho, ain't you goin' too far?"

Vicky rolled her eyes. She knew Minho would have to say something about it – he would never miss the chance to make fun of her – but despite everything she was glad. At least he was one of the few who didn't look at her like a beaten dog. Even Gally seemed bothered by it, seeing how he averted his eyes when looking at her.

"Next time I'll try it on your face then, maybe you'll look better," she retorted with a smirk, eyeing the Runner with the corner of her good eye.

Minho, for his part, let out a small chuckle and after hiding his face behind Ben, he pointed toward her and exclaimed, "Newt! Did you just hear what the greenie said? Aren't you going to do something?" Of course, he had to do the drama queen.

"I don't know. I think it'll suit ya though," he said teasingly.

"Gally! Say something to your minion!"

"Why? You asked for it shank. Plus I'd love to see you beaten up for once too."

"Eww, you're not funny guys," pouted Minho, seeing neither of them was going along with him.

.

Several days passed after Artie's Change and the pain, together with the swelling, was slowly diminishing. However, she couldn't say the same for her shiner. It was even bluer than before and she hoped it wouldn't last long because she was tired of everyone looking at her every single time she entered a room. She wasn't some sideshow.

Vicky had tried many times to talk to Artie too while he was in the Slammer, but he never spoke to her. She didn't give up though. She went every day after work and just talk about anything. Maybe he wouldn't go back to his past self, but hopefully, he wouldn't feel the same loneliness she was sure Gally went through. Of course, she also hoped he would tell her something more about his regained memories someday.

At the very least, her ankle was back in good shape, so Vicky could finally go back to her running routine. Even if it was just a few days, she missed the sensation of freedom it gave to her mind. Being able to forget about her worries and to focus only on the rhythm of her breaths, feeling the burning sensation of her legs when they were too tired to go on. And that was exactly what she needed now. In fact, the only things that were running until now were the wheels in her head and she couldn't take it anymore.

One morning, while Vicky was almost finished circling around the Glade, a voice called, startling her. She almost tripped. _Shuck!_

"Are you training for a marathon?" She could recognize Minho's voice anywhere.

"Yeah, sure, almost beat the record." She rolled her eyes but continued to run with Minho on her side.

"I see you got better since last week."

"What? You shuckface! You spied on me?" She stopped abruptly, hands on her hips and heavily panting. She thought no one had seen her so far. She even went back in her room after every run, waiting for the others to wake up, so they wouldn't ask why she was up so early. Apparently, she was wrong.

"I wouldn't say _spy_ , more like 'kept an eye on you'" he smirked.

"How long?"

"Two weeks at most. But seriously, you're good."

"Thanks, I guess?" She didn't know what to think about that and raised a brow quizzically. It really wasn't like him to compliment others. Why was he even here?

"Why are you doing this?"

"Just 'cause." She shrugged. "Helps me to shake off negative thoughts."

He remained silent for a while and Vicky wondered if she should say something, but Minho anticipated her.

"What do you think about the Runners?" he asked out of the blue, his face now serious.

"What do you mean?" she asked perplexed. _Why is he asking me now?_

Minho seemed deep in thought for a while, his right hand holding his chin.

"What if I ask you to become one? We could really use someone like you."

She was so surprised she didn't know what to say. _Is he really asking me to become a Runner?_ "What?!"

"If you don't want to it's ok, I understand after what happened to Artie," he added quickly.

"Why are you asking _me_?"

"I just thought you could help us. If the note it's true, maybe you could remember something about the Maze or the way out."

Vicky looked at him perplexed. Of course, she had already thought about that, especially after her curious exchange with Artie. Yet, the idea of entering that intricate mass of corridors full of monsters didn't entice her even one bit. Much less now that a Greaver had appeared in broad daylight. Not that she didn't want to be useful, on the contrary. In fact, after the young Runner got stung, the feeling of helplessness grew so much inside of her that she was starting to lose hope that she could really help them.

She pondered Minho's request for a while and then, she decided to at least give it a thought.

"I'll think about it," she said plainly.

Minho blinked slightly surprise, maybe thinking she would turn him down immediately, but then he smirked at her.

"Then I'll eagerly wait for your answer," he stated confidently. "Now I got to go before the others miss me."

"I doubt it," said Vicky rolling her eyes. "But good luck!"

"See ya later princess!"

Then he jogged back to the other Runners and disappeared behind the Maze doors.

* * *

That day Vicky wasn't able to concentrate at all. And the following days weren't any different. All she did was wondering about all the possible scenarios of being a Runner. Was it really the best idea? Would she be able to live up to Minho's expectations? Could she really be able to remember something? And most importantly, if she was so scared to even get close to the Maze, how could she become one of them? That was what mostly made her so reluctant to accept. After her encounter with the Beetle Blade, she always made sure not to get too close to the Doors.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips, while she pocked her lunch with the fork. At one point she thought she heard someone calling for her in the background, but the doubts and worries in her mind were louder. _Oh, slim it Vicky!_ She scolded herself. _What happened to your "If I have to do it, I would"? Didn't you want to help them? Is that all your resolution is worth?_

At that moment she made a decision: first of all, she needed to sort out her fear. Unexpectedly, she quickly stood up from her seat and vigorously slammed her hands on the table, making everyone jump in surprise.

"Shuck greenie!" exclaimed Gally, soon followed by Adam.

"What the hell? You trying to give us a heart attack?"

"Sorry guys, I have something to do," said Vicky without even looking at them. "I'll be back in time Captain!" And then she sprinted outside, leaving the boys with puzzled looks on their faces.

Taking advantage of the absence of the Gladers, Vicky headed towards the South Door, passing through the Deadheads in case someone decided to follow her. She knew she wasn't allowed to go outside, and certainly, that wasn't her intention, but maybe she would be able to reach the opening without freaking out.

Fast-paced she got closer until she was two meters from the Maze entrance. Then her body froze and her breathing became faster and faster as if her lungs couldn't contain the air she was gasping for. Vicky was remembering the last time she got this close, which clearly didn't go well. _Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all_. What if that happened again? There was no one to stop her this time. While those thoughts were making their way through her mind, her body subconsciously started to back off. However, she really wanted to see this through the end. Not only to be able to help them, but also for herself. Moreover, she didn't have much time before someone went to look for her.

 _Come on, you can do it_ , she repeated in her head and after taking a few deep breaths, she slowly approached the Door. Her heart was racing, so much that she feared its beating could be heard all over the Galde. Her hands, clenched in fists, were sweating and her legs felt heavier than ever, but she continued. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. From her movements to the sounds around her. The only thing she could hear was the blood pumping hard in her veins.

A few steps later – which felt like an eternity – she was touching the big stone wall and all the sounds came back. Nothing had happened. No headache, no pain, no one controlling her body. Releasing all the tension, she felt her legs gave away. Before collapsing, Vicky sat on the ground near the entrance resting her head on the wall and sighed with relief.

_I did it!_

She smiled satisfied and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm her still-beating heart. The fear didn't vanish, of course, but at least she knew she would be fine. Now she knew what she had to do.


	12. Final Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it comes, as I promised (:

GALLY

The talk with Ably didn't last long, but Gally didn't leave immediately. He needed to know if his suspicions were right.

"Are you really going to let the greenie be a Runner?" he asked firmly.

"Why? Are ya worried?" If he didn't know their leader, he would've said he had a childish smile on his face.

Gally frowned deeply but silently left. He wasn't even sure why he asked it. No, he wasn't worried. Not him. And it wasn't the first time a greenie was chosen to run the Maze.

Crouched down, nervously playing with the grass blades outside the Homestead, there was Vicky. She quickly straightened up when she saw him.

"Do you need anything?" Asked Gally with a scowl.

"I…well…"

She paused for a moment, probably pondering what to say next. He already knew what she wanted to ask him. However, Gally wasn't a patient one and annoyed by her reluctance, he began to walk away. _Can't she even say it straight?_ he thought to himself. Before he went too far, she clumsily reached him.

"Wait. Did you hear something?"

That's it. He glared at her, slightly offended by her question. Did she think he would tell everyone?

"What? That ya asked to be a shucking Runner?" he said rudely, rising his tone and waving his hands in the air.

Vicky blinked in surprise, probably not expecting him to react like that. And neither did he. Why was he so annoyed? Was it because she didn't ask him, her Keeper, about it? Well, technically she didn't need to. It wasn't like she had to ask for permission.

Seeing they were attracting a bit too much attention, she took him by his arm and headed to a quieter place.

"Can you just lower your voice?" She whispered annoyed.

"Why?" asked Gally sarcastically. "They'll know anyway. Or are ya afraid about _someone_ finding out?" And he crossed his arms. He saw how overprotective the second-in-command was about Vicky and he was sure Newt would throw a tantrum the moment he found it out. That slightly pissed him off, but only 'cause of her special treatment. _Right? Right_.

At those words, Vicky's eyes widened and a hint of confusion, mixed with dismay, flashed in them.

"What?! What the hell are you talking about? No!" She almost yelled, leaving him kind of dumbfounded. "Why are you being like this?" Yeah, good question. Why? Why did he care if she wanted to run the Maze and get herself killed? If she didn't care, why should he? _Leave her be_ , he scolded himself, _she'll see for herself what it means._

"Can ya even do it? The Maze isn't a place for the weak," said Gally instead, with spite. That's not what he really wanted to say, but his mouth operated faster than his brain. He knew what she was capable of, he saw that. But the Maze wasn't the Glade and as much as he tried to deny it, deep down he didn't want her to go in there.

For the first time since Vicky arrived in the Glade, she glared at him. She was angry. And not the "stop with your joke" kind of angry.

" _Why do you have to be such an asshole_?" she hissed.

Gally knew he was at fault but hearing the greenie insult him like that, really riled him up.

"Who did ya call an ass-"

"I know I'm not a damn boy! I know I'm not strong like you and that I can't even throw a punch! You think I don't? I can't do anything about it! But I'm trying my best and _you_ should know it," she interrupted, pointing a finger at his chest. "Is it such a bad thing that I want to help? Tell me."

He didn't know what to say. No, of course it wasn't. But he didn't want _her_ to be the one doing it. Then why couldn't he say it? He only managed to utter a bitter "Whatever", while raising his hands in defeat. They looked at each other defiantly for a long silent second, before Gally added, "But don't expect me to stand up for ya as I did with Artie if ya get stung. I won't hesitate to banish ya if necessary."

The moment he spoke those words, the anger in her eyes vanished. In its place, bewilderment and- was that disappointment? Her already glassy eyes widened and her mouth slightly opened, probably to say something, but not a single sound came out. She closed it again and bit her lips, clearly doing her best not to crumble in front of him. Gally immediately regretted it. Why the shuck did he say that?! Would he really not hesitate? After all the time they spent together, would he be able to just watch her being banished? Not so sure. Maybe he thought a threat would make her change her mind, but would it really work?

Not knowing how to make it right, he guiltily remained silent. When Vicky saw he wouldn't talk, she finally spoke.

"You're really a jerk, you know that?" Then she turned and stormed away.

Hearing those words felt like a cold shower. Gally never thought to hear them from her; maybe from everyone else, but not her. Not after she was the only one who said he was nice. But well, what did he expect? Maybe now she'll hate him for real. He really felt like an idiot now.

**[the next day]**

The Gathering took place right after breakfast. Gally and the other Keepers were assembled in the room, whispering between each other about the nature of the meeting. Then Alby took the floor.

"As all of ya know, since Artie was attacked, we are short of Runners. I called this Gathering 'cause Minho suggested someone should take his place and I agree."

 _Of course, it had to be Minho's idea. Why couldn't he just…_ he stopped, without finishing his thought.

"Isn't it a bit too soon Alby?" asked Zart.

"Yeah, you think anyone would want to become a Runner after what they saw? It's a miracle nobody quitted," added Frypan.

"The person in question has already accepted," said the dark-skinned boy.

"So? Who's the one?"

Alby turned towards the closed door and in a loud voice said, "Come in."

At Vicky's sight, all the Keepers went silent and looked quizzically at both Alby and the greenie. Gally, of course, already knew that, but after their last exchange, he started to feel a bit anxious. After a long moment of bewilderment, someone spoke.

"What?! You serious Alby?" It was Newt. He had a deep frown on his face and was already glaring at both of them.

"I am," he simply said. "And now ya'll listen to what she has to say."

When Alby signalled her, Vicky cleared her throat and looked fiercely at each of the boys, Gally too.

"Alright. Before you turn me down at once, I want you to listen to my reasons. Do you remember when you asked me if I told you everything Artie said to me?" They nodded silently and she continued. "Well...there's something I didn't tell you."

_What is she talking about?_

"What do you mean?" asked Winston surprised, giving voice to Gally's thoughts.

"When he took me by the collar, he said something strange. Something like 'I've already been here'. I have no idea what he meant and when I tried to talk to him, he said he didn't remember. Don't know if that's true or he just didn't wanna tell me." At this point, all the Keepers were more confused than before and they started to whisper between themselves once more. Gally was no better. _Is that even possible?_ Without waiting for them to ask anything, Vicky went on.

"At the beginning, I thought maybe it was just him being crazy, but what if what he said is true? Maybe that's why the note said I could help you. Maybe I wasn't supposed to be here because I already know how to escape. And maybe if I became a Runner and go into the Maze, I may be able to help find a way out," she blurted out.

No one talked for a long moment. It was clear that none of them knew what to say about it. Then Gally intervened.

"That's a lot of maybes greenie," he said slightly tilting his head. A deep frown appearing on his face. "If your suppositions are correct and ya came here without them knowing, then why don't ya remember anything?"

She resentfully glared at him for a moment before averting her gaze. "Honestly, I have no idea," she sighed. "But-"

"Have ya ever thought that if ya weren't supposed to be here and ya go into that shuckin' Maze, you could die?" he heard Newt interrupt angrily. His fists clenched. And for once Gally agreed with him.

"Yeah, you could be right," said Vicky sternly, looking right into Newt's eyes, before shifting her gaze to them all. "But anyone else could die. Look at Artie. I don't think you ever complained about him becoming a Runner, yet he risked his life the same. At least I have to try."

Some of the Gladers silently nodded at her remark and Gally started to fear she had managed to convince the most of them.

"Ya really sure about this greenie?"

"Yes, I'm sure Alby. That's all I wanted to say." And then she left, leaving them to their decision.

* * *

"No! No way she'll become a Runner! What the shuck were ya thinkin'?" Newt yelled at Minho. All around silence, only a slight buzz coming from the background.

"Newt, she's not a kid, you know?"

"It's too dangerous," he said through his teeth, giving him an icy cold stare.

"Yeah, as it is for everyone, in case you have forgotten!" snapped Minho.

"I think Newt's right," said Gally sternly, his face dark. "I don't like it." Yes, she was strong, he knew that, but going into the Maze was another thing. He only briefly experienced it and didn't want her to go through the same thing. "If what she suggested it's true, we could find another way for her to remember without her running the Maze."

"Oh come on! She is really fast, like any other Runner. She wouldn't have a problem to run from a Griever. Plus, she is smart and relatively strong. You all saw her working with the builders! She may be a girl, but she's more capable than many lads out there!" He knew Minho was starting to lose his patience, but he was too.

"And what if something happens to her?! Huh? Are you going to protect her as you did with Artie?" Now Gally was furious and grabbed his shirt. Minho remained still but glared angrily at him and was ready for a fight. He knew it wasn't the Runner's fault, yet the idea that Vicky could be in his place sent a shiver down his spine.

Alby, who was watching silently until now leaning in a corner, straightened up and shouted. "Slim it!" Silence fell in the room. As he turned to Alby, he noticed all the Keepers looking at him in disbelief. He then realized what he did and immediately let go of Minho's shirt. He hadn't planned to say that out loud.

"Why are you so concerned?" asked Zart out of the blue. "Are you starting to care?"

Gally glared at him. _What?! No!_ He wasn't. No. Not Gally. During his stay in the Glade, he came across a harsh reality. That there was no place for friendship or affection. Just solidarity and maybe a little fellowship in order to keep going. That's why he always tried to keep everyone at a safe distance with his behaviour. Mostly to protect himself from getting hurt if something bad ever occurred. Just like it happened with George. No, he wasn't going to repeat the same mistake. He wasn't starting to care again...was he?

"It's not that," he defended himself, crossing his arms. "She can't help if she's dead."

"Minho has a point though," said Frypan. "We need more Runners and she is very capable. I'm sure she can handle herself, and he will surely do a good job keeping an eye on her."

"They asked us to keep her safe and you want her to go into the Maze?!" Newt intervened again. "She's not ready for this!"

"We ain't even sure if that's true. And o'course, she'll go through the training."

"Alby's right. And we can't treat her differently just 'cause she's a girl" added Winston.

"If everyone has spoken, now we'll put it to a vote."

Much to Newt's and his dismay, all the other Keepers agreed with it, leaving them with a bitter taste in their mouths.

"Alby! You can't do this." Newt tried again, almost pleading.

"The decision's been made. No complaints, good that?" And with that he dismissed them. Gally tried to compose himself, but the anger was still there. He tried to convince himself that it was a job just like any other and she was a big girl; plus what right did he have to stop her? She could make her own decisions.

VICKY

Viky was waiting nervously for the verdict outside the Homestead. Suddenly, she heard someone storm out of the door. It was Newt. He didn't even look her in the eyes: he just brushed past her without a word and walked away.

"Newt!" she shouted in vain. He was already gone.

Any other day she would have followed him and tried to talk him into this, but not that day. She knew he was just worried, especially after seeing her having those nightmares, but she was tired. Tired to be considered someone who must be protected. Tired to wait and do nothing. Tired to be a girl, if that was even possible. She only wanted to help them and prove it wasn't just a mistake that she came here.

After a short while, also the other Keepers came out and as she noticed them, she immediately stood up, slowly approaching them. Alby gave her a confirmation glare and she nodded in return.

Gally instead looked at her frowning, but his grey-blue eyes spoke something else. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly changed his mind and left too. Vicky hoped he would say something, anything, after how they left each other the previous day. She didn't want to insult him like that, she didn't even mean it. But what he said really affected her. More than she wanted to admit. It took Vicky all her resolution not to cry in frustration in front of him the previous day. She thought _he_ , of all Gladers, had stopped seeing her like a weak one; she thought she had already proven herself. _Was I wrong about it?_ She also thought, or maybe it was best to say 'hoped', that Gally had finally started to consider her part of them, that he cared for her like the others, but after that, she wasn't sure anymore. Did he think she would bring them more troubles? That she would slow Minho down? She didn't know anymore.

"Don't worry, they'll come around" Minho reassured her, and she gave him a small nod. She hoped so, but she wasn't going to regret her decision. "Anyway, welcome on-board princess!" he said with a grin, patting her on the shoulder. Fortunately, she still had that sassy slinthead.

"Thank you, Minho. So, when do we start?"

"In three days. Alby said we could wait until box day before starting the training, so you better prepare yourself. I won't take it easy." Oh yeah, it was only a matter of time until the new greenie would arrive. She almost forgot about it. Finally, they would stop calling her that.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," she replied, smirking.

* * *

Over the next few days, however, things didn't go any better. Artie was finally released, still, he didn't speak much with her, which only deepened her feeling of helplessness. He didn't seem angry anymore, but whenever she was near him, he looked at Vicky with something that resembled pity. That only confused her more. Wasn't _he_ the one who got stung? However, she never got him to tell her why and before long she stopped asking.

Moreover, there were Gally and Newt. They both gave her the cold shower, exchanging only a few words when needed and Vicky was starting to lose her patience. Initially, she wanted to give them their space, but after a while, she found it ridiculous. Were they going to stop talking to her forever? Maybe she should just stop worrying about them and keep going like she always had. Alby said that before, didn't he? It was only a matter of survival, so she should stick to that too and stop being so emotionally involved. It wouldn't do her any good anyway. Then why couldn't she? Why did she feel so lonely now that they began to avoid her?

"Why are they acting like kids? I can take care of myself!" She snapped once after they left the table upon her arrival.

"They're just concerned Viky, give them some more time," said Frypan while sitting beside her.

"Quite a way of showing it."

A sneer crossing his face. "I have to agree with you there," he added. Then his expression changed. "But I can understand them. They were here longer than everyone and saw a lot of awful things. Before you arrived they weren't like this. Newt had slowly started to lose hope, being all depressed and moody, while Gally...well you saw how he was at the beginning. Now Newt became his cheerful self again and I see how Gally is less grumpy and more relaxed. Especially around you. Maybe your presence has done some good to them, who knows."

Vicky looked at him quizzically. "Are you sure you're not reading too much into it Fry? Well, I could believe you about Newt, but Gally? I know he cares about everyone, even if he doesn't show it. About me, though, I'm not so sure. Just when I thought he had started to accept me, he behaves like this. I honestly don't get it. I'm not doing it because I like being reckless, I'm trying to help you," she sighed in frustration. "To help us."

"Maybe you just don't see it," said Frypan plainly. "But trust me when I say he's different with you. Newt too."

"Dunno," she shrugged. "I just wish they would understand and stop avoiding me."

"I'm sure they will greenie."

"Hey! I thought you gave up on that stupid nickname long ago," she said sulkily.

"I'm only making the most of it before the next one arrives." He winked. "I think I didn't enjoy it enough since you were a girl."

"You traitor." She punched him on the shoulder and in all response he just snickered at her. At that moment, she remembered her first days after her arrival and how she bickered with Gally when he wouldn't stop to call her 'greenie'. And how she almost got used to it. In a few days she wouldn't be the greenie anymore, so will he call her by her name? Or would he find another annoying nickname? Knowing him, the latter was the most probable, but then...would he go back to speak to her like he used to? She really hoped so.

They ate silently for a while, Vicky still lost in her thoughts, when Frypan asked absentminded, "What if it's another girl?"

"Who?"

She had already forgotten what they were talking about.

"The new greenie."

 _Oh._ She looked up from her plate and raised a brow. "I doubt it." Did he already forget that she wasn't supposed to be there?

"Why? You're here. Maybe the Creators will change their plan or whatever they're doing and will send more."

 _As if,_ she thought dryly. _I'm sure they're enjoying all of this._ "I was a mistake Fry. You saw the note."

"We don't know if it's true and you're not a mistake," he replied sternly. It was the first time she heard him like that. "Just an unexpected surprise, that's all. But a pleasant one for us," he added softly this time.

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes, but she was secretly glad he thought that about her. "Just don't get your hopes up."

"Don't worry greenie, you'll always be my favourite." As he said that, Frypan had a huge grin on his face and she couldn't help but giggle heartily. He always knew how to cheer her up.

"Slinthead."


	13. The World Spins Madly on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi shanks,  
> here we are again with another chapter! Thanks as always for all the people still reading it, I hope I won't let down your expectations.

VICKY

After a long day, Vicky was finally able to let her body collapse on a log in front of the bonfire and relax her tired limbs. To her dismay, after they opened the box that morning, Adam and she were assigned to the preparations for the party and they spent all day on it. She didn't think it would be so exhausting to assemble a pyre. However, she decided to enjoy her last moments as a Builder. Despite everything, she liked her job and was sorry that she wouldn't work with Gally anymore.

Contemplating the flames, Vicky lost herself in her stream of consciousness. Box day arrived sooner than she expected, and she didn't know if she felt more sad or disappointed. Another boy had been sent to that damn place and after her talk with Frypan, she couldn't suppress a feeling of discontent for him not being a girl. As much as she tried not to think about it, she couldn't shake off the small glimmer of hope that formed in the back of her mind. Not that she disliked the guys; it's just that sometimes she craved for a female presence.

Between thought and another she could hear the cackles of the Gladers enjoying the party. Adam and Gally were showing off again, acclaimed by the rest of the Builders, a bunch of Slicers and most of the Runners. Clint, Jeff and Zart were sitting on another log at her right, laughing and singing terribly off-key, while the others were chatting cheerfully between each other. Looking at them, she missed the time she spent with Newt during her bonfire. How they joked, or laughed, or danced like idiots. He was still mad and not even once he tried to speak with her. She hadn't seen him since dinner and now that she thought about it, neither Minho was there. _Where the shuck are they?_

As if he heard her thoughts, a body slumped down the trunk next to her. Surprised, she turned to see Newt, eyes fixed at the fire, offering her a glass full of Gally's drink. Right behind him, Vicky spotted a grinning Minho with the corner of her eye and she immediately understood what was going on. He winked at her and then left them alone.

"Thanks."

She took the glass from Newt's hand and turned again towards the bonfire. He remained silent, but his body tensed and switched his position a few times. While waiting for him to say something, her gaze lingered on her drink. Not sure if she wanted to repeat her first time, she just played with the glass, stirring the liquid inside. How they could drink that stuff was still a mystery to her. After a long silence, the boy finally spoke.

"I'm sorry."

Vicky didn't reply, waiting for him to continue. She knew there was more he wanted to say.

"But I mean it when I say I don't want you to become a Runner."

"Even if that means throwing away our possibly only chance to escape?"

She didn't want to be rude, but she wanted him to understand. It's not like she didn't think it through.

"I…I-I don't know..."

He lowered his head in defeat and from the wavering in his voice, Vicky could tell Newt was struggling against an internal conflict. His best friend safety or their possibility to escape.

"I just don't want to lose another friend. If you get stung or…" He stopped, not able to finish his thought.

Clearly, what happened to Artie deeply affected Newt and she couldn't blame him. How many of them had he seen like that, or worse? She couldn't even try to understand what it meant.

"Listen Newt," she started, her voice steady. "I get that you're concerned, really. And I know I've only been here a month, so I can barely imagine how it was to live in this place for so long." She paused, stopped playing with the glass and turned towards his friend. "But I'll do what I have to if it means we can escape from here."

"The Maze ain't the Glade Vicky."

Newt was still not looking at her, nervously rubbing the back of his hand. She hesitated for a moment, then grabbed it and lightly squeezed it. She knew he was right. She could feel it every time she neared those damn Doors.

"Someone has to do it. I have to do it. You understand that, don't you?"

Newt raised his head and looked her in the eyes.

"I'll be alright," she added. "You know how stubborn I am, I won't go down easily. Plus, I'll have Minho with me."

"Just…just promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise."

She gave him a warm smile.

"Don't be so happy about it," he scolded her, but his tone wasn't angry. "I still don't like it. But I know you ain't changing your mind."

"I know, thank you. I'm just glad you're talking to me again."

"Me too. Guess I should thank Minho for giving me a little push."

"Yeah. Even that shank is useful sometimes."

Newt finally let out a small chuckle, which she didn't know she missed so much. At least he was back to his normal self. Not long after, they were chatting animatedly as if the past three days didn't happen.

Suddenly, the boys around the sandy circle broke into thunderous cheers, which caught both Newt and Vicky attention. As per usual, Gally had beaten Adam for the umpteenth time, but it seemed like the latter didn't want to give up and challenged him again. Typical of Adam, he never knew when to stop, especially knowing that he didn't stand a chance against his Keeper. But she had to admit she admired his spirit. Of course, pulling back wasn't contemplated in Gally's vocabulary, so they were back again wrestling in the sand.

"Any luck with Gally?" asked Newt out of the blue when he caught her lingering a bit longer.

"Not even close."

Vicky sighed, looking again at the drink in her hand. She pondered for a while if she should try it once more and... _Screw it!_

In a moment of boldness, she drank half of it. Bad idea. Even if she was prepared, it burned down her throat like it was fire. She had to squint her eyes from the sting, but at least she managed not to cough. Still, the aftertaste was terrible. She was sure she would never get used to it.

"I thought you didn't like it," said Newt, looking at her with a smirk on his face.

"I don't."

And she took another long sip.

"You should take it easy love."

She knew he was right, but right now she didn't care. She just wanted to have fun before turning to the harsh reality of the Glade.

Looking back at the bonfire, Vicky noticed the greenie sitting alone. When they opened the box that morning, he was so scared he almost started to cry. Before he could understand what was going on, Gally had jumped in the box and helped him come out. Or rather, he picked him up and slammed the poor boy on the grassy ground. _Always so tactful_.

He was a slim and skinny one, probably around 14 or 15, with short wavy brown hair, chocolate dark eyes and big ears. He didn't even say a word, only shaking his head when they asked for his name. _Why the hell did the Creators send a poor fella like him?_

Noticing his discomfort, Vicky decided to try and talk to him. She remembered how lonely she felt when she first arrived and if it wasn't for Newt and Minho, she was sure she would have broken down. Slowly, she stood up, snatched the bottle of Moonshine from his friend's hand and walked towards him. She thought she heard Newt mumble something, but she couldn't understand. Not sure if it was the noise or the alcohol finally kicking in.

"Mind if I sit here?"

The boy looked up to her confused and just shook his head.

"Name's Vicky by the way, nice to meet you."

With a smile, she offered him her hand, which he hesitantly shook.

"I-I don't remember mine."

"Don't worry, it'll come in a few days."

To her disappointment, the boy went silent again.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" she asked, smirking, but he just shrugged his shoulder. _Man, I really have to do my best here._ She decided to change strategy and handed him the bottle she just stole from Newt.

"Try this, it'll help."

The boy opened it and sniffed its content. A disgusted expression formed on his face.

"What's this?"

"Beats me. Just try it, it'll warm you up."

Reluctant, he took a small sip. He immediately spat it out, cleaning his mouth with the back of his arm. "Eww!"

Vicky started to laugh uncontrollably, attracting the attention of the other Gladers. Especially Gally's, who was now glaring at both of them.

"I'm sorry," she said between the giggles, "I should have warned you."

Unfortunately, this didn't work either, because the boy gave her the bottle back and stopped talking again. She mentally slapped herself. _You should have made him comfortable, you idiot._ Maybe the Moonshine was really starting to kick in. She tried again.

"So, why are you all alone? Is the party that boring or you just don't like the company?"

"I guess it's alright," he said, staring at his hands. "I just don't like them making fun of me."

 _Those idiots. I should have known that_.

"You know," she started, trying to be as reassuring as possible, "they may be slintheads, but they're not bad once you know them."

She pointed in their direction and his eyes followed her with a raised brow.

"I was the greenie before you arrived. They enjoyed mocking me a lot and didn't give me a break for almost a week. Actually, they still do, but we're a family, and now you're part of it too." At this, she smiled. "Would you give them a second chance?"

He was silent for a moment and then he replied, "I'll try."

"Good that. And if they do something stupid again, just come to me. I'll kick their butts."

To her surprise, the young'un let out a small chuckle and she finally felt like he was beginning to trust her.

"Rule number two greenie: if you need help, just ask."

He turned to look at her and tilted his head. "I thought it was 'never hurt another Glader'."

"Number two of _my_ rules." A huge grin appeared on her face. "They're just a bunch, I'm working on that."

Before he could ask for more explanations, a loud voice called. "Hey greenie! Why don't you come here and show us what you got?"

They both turned towards it, just to see a breathless Gally staring at the boy.

 _Oh yeah_ , _I'm not the greenie anymore._ _Force of habit._

The poor fella frantically shifted his gaze between her and the crowd of boys, not knowing what to do. Clearly, wrestling with Gally was the last thing he wanted.

"Come on! I won't bite."

To worsen matters the other Gladers started to chant 'greenie' all together to encourage him to enter the circle. Thinking he probably had no choice, the boy stood up when Vicky bravely, or recklessly considering how much she drank, put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back on the log.

"Wait here."

"But-"

"Rule number two, remember?"

And with that, she headed to the group of boys where Gally was standing. Everybody looked at her with wide eyes. Probably she would have too if she was one hundred percent sober.

"What are ya doing?" asked the Builder, frowning.

"I'll be your opponent."

"Don't kid. I'm not fighting with you girlie."

_So this is how he's going to call me now?_

"Why? You afraid I can beat you?"

A scornful smile appeared on her lips. Vicky wasn't sure where all this confidence came from. She obviously didn't stand a chance against him, especially in her actual state. However, she was tired of being ignored and apparently her dumb brain told her the best way to make him look at her was to challenge him at his own game. She missed the time they spent together, the only time in which she truly felt relaxed and safe. She just wanted to talk to him again. Her body, though, was of a different opinion, 'cause she almost tripped on the rope circling the ring.

"I don't think it's a good idea princess," intervened Minho. "You're not even able to stand straight."

"I'm perfectly fine."

No, she wasn't, but she couldn't back down just now.

"Oh _really_?" said Gally raising one of his brows and crossing his arms.

"Come on Captain, let her try!" shouted Dave from the crowd. "But don't come crying when he'll beat the klunk out of you."

The others followed him at once and started to chant her name this time. The Builder gave Dave a death stare, but if he refused he would also lose his reputation and Vicky knew that.

"Well?"

"Alright girlie, if you can make me fall once you'll win."

Usually, the rules implied that you had to push your opponent outside the ring, but in her state, it was probably hard enough to just bring him down, so Vicky didn't protest.

"Bring it on."

Gally was the first one to move, charging her straight on. She didn't have much time to think and managed to evade him at the last second, slipping under his right arm. He clearly didn't expect it and almost lost his balance trying not to fall outside. Taking advantage of his momentary weakness, Vicky ran towards him, her arms stretched ready to push him, but Gally was quicker. He turned, caught her with one arm and slammed her on the ground. Her vision blurred a little and everything around her started to spin.

_Shuck. I shouldn't have drunk that much._

Wobbling, Vicky stood up again facing Gally with a scowl.

"Is that all you've got?"

"Come on Gally, she's clearly drunk. Go easy on her," said Newt.

"I'm not druunk," protested Vicky. A little tipsy maybe, that's all. "And I'm not doone with you."

She knew she had to think about something if she wanted to win, but the dizziness had already numbed her mind.

This time it was her turn to charge at the Keeper. She pushed him as hard as she could, both hands gripped on his arms. Gally, though, was ready for her and with his feet anchored to the ground, he didn't move an inch. No matter how she tried, he didn't budge. Suddenly, he pushed her too. Vicky, already at her limits, didn't have the strength to contrast him and she was pulled back till the edge of the circle. The moment she looked back to check how far away she was, Gally used his feet to grab her ankle and make her fall again. Taken by surprise, Vicky grabbed his shirt, dragging him down with her. They both groaned in pain as they landed on the hard ground.

GALLY

When he saw Vicky heading towards him instead of the greenie, Gally knew he wouldn't like what was going to happen. It was already three days since they decided to make her a Runner and he barely spoke with her. After their little exchange, he thought she despised him. She had tried a couple of times to approach him, but he did everything he could to avoid her in fear of what she would say. If she hated him, he didn't want to know.

During the time he spent in the Glade, Gally never got used to it; always feeling uncomfortable and on alert. There wasn't a time in which he felt at peace, or at least relaxed, which heavily affected his humour. But when Vicky showed up everything changed. She wasn't afraid of him and she always treated him like a friend. It was a first for him. She was even able to make that shucking place bearable and now he ruined it. He was never good at expressing his emotions - mainly because he didn't need to before - which ended with him saying things he didn't mean and hurting her feelings. But he couldn't help it. Without knowing it, Gally had started to grow fond of Vicky. She was the only one who really liked and sought his company. Even if he often teased or scolded her, she always bore with him. Why did it have to be her? Why couldn't she just wait and find another way? He tried many times to shake off those thoughts, reminding himself that he shouldn't care. That she would do just fine. But nothing. They were still there.

The last thing he wanted now was to wrestle with her, clearly drunk or nearly. Sometimes, though, his ego was bigger than his values and convinced by the Gladers cheering for a fight, he took her on. Even if Gally didn't want to hurt her, in the heat of the moment he heavily pushed her down two times. The second one he clumsily fell with her.

"Ouch!" she cried.

"Shuck girlie!"

He really didn't expect that.

"Vicky! You alright?" asked Newt alarmed, reaching for them. Of course he had to come to her rescue.

When he turned towards the girl, she was laying on the ground without forces, panting, arms and legs spread. A shirt giggle escaped her lips and everyone looked at her confused.

"Did she hit her head?" someone asked.

"Maybe you went too far Captain."

Immediately, Gally reached out for her and helped Vicky to stand. She wobbled a little, still laughing to herself, and he luckily caught her before she collapsed again.

_How much did this slinthead drink?_

"Alright, I think that's enough for tonight, love."

"Oh cooome oon!" she whined. "I'm fiinee Newt."

_As if._

"No, you're not," said Gally, frowning lightly. "Come with me."

The Builder dragged her - maybe a little too forcibly - to a seat near the bonfire, a bit far away from the others.

"Let me go! I can waalk on my oown."

He felt Vicky trying to release herself from his strong grip, but he wasn't going to let her go. She needed to cool down a little.

"Sit down," he commanded.

She groaned but reluctantly did as he said. Soon after he sat down beside her, their arms touching slightly. None of them spoke for a while. He hadn't planned to find himself in this situation and he really didn't know what to say.

Suddenly, Gally felt a weight on his shoulder and when he looked over, he found Vicky leaning on him. His body stiffened, but she didn't move. Only her back rose and fell to the rhythm of her breaths. Looking at her now, he finally noticed how small she was. Sure, she was shorter than any of the Gladers, but he never really paid it too much attention.

_Is she asleep?_

"Why are you avoiding me?" she slurred out of the blue.

_Apparently not._

"I've been busy."

The girl didn't say anything for a while and he hoped she would just drop it, but he forgot that he was dealing with Vicky. He had to do better than that.

"Liar." The accusatory tone made him almost flinch, however it was soon followed by a loud sigh. "Is it because of what I said? I didn't really mean it...it's just-..."

Her voice sounded desperate now and Gally was confused. Did she think _he_ was mad at her? Well, he was at first, but not anymore.

"I was angry alright? I know that I can't do much, but I want to help," she blurted it out. "I'm sorry...I didn't want to hurt you."

Hurt _him_? Those words were like a punch in the stomach. It was him who hurt _her._ Why was she the one apologising? He couldn't take it anymore.

"It's me who was a slinthead. I...I didn't mean those things too."

Vicky quickly lifted her head and turned towards him in disbelief.

"For real?"

The innocence with which she voiced the question and her awaiting eyes made him feel more guilty than he already was. Did she really think he was serious? But, well, he also didn't do anything to try and deny it. Gally inhaled deeply, avoiding her gaze and nervously scratching the back of his head.

"I…I think I- I was just a little worried..."

She went momentarily silent and when he gathered enough courage to meet her eyes again, she had a pensive look on her face.

"Look...I know maybe I'm the only way you have to get out of here, but I won't die that easily." She was frowning slightly and he could tell she was serious. "And I promise I'll train as hard as I can not to slow Minho down."

_Wait. What?_

"Is that what you were thinking all along?"

Puzzled, Vicky raised a brow. "Am I wrong?"

Gally lowered his head, sighing heavily. He never planned to tell her - he didn't even want to admit it to himself - but by now there was no point in denying it. Also, he wasn't sure she would remember it anyway.

"I was worried about _you_ , slinthead!" he admitted in defeat, his face cupped in his hands. "...you don't need to run the Maze, ya know? We can find another way.."

When she didn't reply he thought he had screwed up again.

"I mean...yeah...if you don-"

Before he could understand what was going on, though, Vicky threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a hug. Gally's heart stopped, while his face flushed red.

"W-what are ya doing?"

Completely lost, his mind blank, the Builder tried to disentangle her from him, but in all response, she tightened her embrace. Meanwhile, most of the boys were staring at them, speechless. It was a rare sight to see their grumpy Keeper defenceless like that.

"Thank you Gally."

 _Thank you? For what?_ Not knowing what to do, he gave up and let her be. When she finally broke it up, he was left with a cold sensation and a feeling of emptiness. Was he disappointed?

When Vicky looked at him again with a bright smile, his heart skipped another beat.

_What was that?_

Suddenly, she started to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" he asked, worried that something gave him away.

"You are."

Innocently, she poked his cheek with her finger. Caught off guard by her sudden gesture, Gally stood there, mouth slightly open. It wasn't like her to be so physical, even when sober.

 _She really drank too much_.

Oblivious to his awkwardness, the girl continued. "Always acting like a tough guy while you're just like Newt."

He felt a little offended by her comment. "I'm not like Newt," he protested, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms, while Vicky rolled her eyes as if he said the most stupid thing in the world.

"I mean you really care about others. About us..."

She paused for a moment, letting her words linger like she wanted to add something else. But she didn't. She just stared at him intently. Well, she wasn't entirely wrong; those fellas were the only family he had, but he would never say it out loud.

"Whatever," he replied, averting his eyes.

Once more, Gally felt Vicky leaning against him, but this time he was relaxed, enjoying the warm sensation radiating from her and spreading through his body. After three long days, he finally felt at peace, letting the silence linger whilst contemplating the bonfire and the boys still partying. They've never been so close before and much to his surprise he didn't dislike it.

"Gally?"

"Mmm?" he replied, absentminded, captivated by the dancing flames. They reminded him of the time Vicky danced with Newt during her bonfire.

"I missed you."

It took him a few solid seconds before the words sank in. _She what?! Missed me?_ The Builder snapped his head to her, dumbfounded, but what he saw was not what he expected. To his surprise, she was already sound asleep. For real this time. Did she really say it? Or was it just his imagination? Just for a second, he hoped it was the first one and that's when it struck him.

He had missed her too.

At the realisation, Gally couldn't help but let out a frustrated laugh, running a hand through his hair. Now he was really screwed.

"Yeah...me too girlie..."


End file.
